Generally squirrels are diurnal, that is they are active during the day, and to be even more precise, they are crepuscular, meaning that they are mostly active during early morning hours and late evening hours. But are they ever active at night? Well, this fact cannot be completely disputed, so yes, they are sometimes active during the night; very rarely.

The squirrel family largely consists of several members, including the tree squirrels, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, marmots and chipmunks. Native to America, Eurasia and Africa and introduced in Australia by human beings, it is ambiguous to presume that all these rodents are completely nocturnal.





Tree squirrels
Their name was derived from the fact that they live solely on trees, whether in the forest, in rural farms, at the backyards or even in urban parks. This group of squirrels are always active during the day with less to no activity at all during the night. Examples are the fox squirrel, the Eastern gray squirrel and the red squirrel.

Ground squirrels
They live on the ground, within rocks, tree backs on the field, anywhere they are able to dig up and inhabit the underground. These squirrels are confused with the marmots and chipmunks. Well, these ones are medium sized while chipmunks are small and the marmots are larger. Another distinctive feature is their ability to stand on hind legs to look over a distance and if there is danger, they lie flat on the ground and screech to warn the others. They are diurnal and rarely active at night.

Flying squirrels
They can fly; or rather glide from one tree to another using their parachute-like flaps of skin called the patagium. They have long tail for stability while gliding. Just like the tree squirrels, these kinds also reside on trees in the forest and not anywhere near human inhabited areas. Unlike the other squirrels, the flying squirrel is fully nocturnal.

Marmots
These large-sized squirrels inhabit either the mountain or grasslands ecosystems. They live in burrows and hibernate during the winter season. Their diet consists of grasses, lichens, mosses, roots and flowers. Marmots do not screech like the ground squirrels when passing a warning, instead they whistle loudly. They also are most active during the day and barely during the night. Examples include the groundhog, Hoary marmot, the long-tailed marmot, Himalayan marmot among others.

Chipmunks
Small and stripped, they feed on seeds, nuts, fruits and buds. They also live in burrows and hibernate during winter. These squirrels are further subdivided into three groups, the eastern chipmunks, the Siberian chipmunks and the Western chipmunks, according to where they are found. Chipmunks are diurnal.

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Are squirrels ever active at night?