The umbrella is its big, bushy tail. The name squirrel comes from the Greek skiouros , which means shadow-tailed, because the tail is big enough to shade the rest of the animal. Squirrels belong to a group of animals called rodents . Their front teeth never stop growing. Because rodents are always chewing and gnawing, so their teeth must grow to keep from grinding down to nothing.
Squirrels live all over Minnesota.
They have adapted to living in the city as well as the country. Tree squirrels prefer to live in tree cavities. If a squirrel cannot find a comfortable hole, it will build a large nest. It puts leafy twigs in the fork of a tree, then adds leaves, grass, and small twigs. If you see a big clump of leaves and branches in a treetop, it probably belongs to a squirrel.