00:00 Squirrels are a diverse group of animals with over 300 species, each adapted to different environments and climates.

05:11 Squirrels are differentiated from other rodents by their unique jaw and muscle attachment to their skull, and our understanding of their taxonomy has changed with the introduction of genome mapping.

10:14 Squirrels can be divided into three groups: ground squirrels, tree squirrels, and flying squirrels, and many species of ground squirrels, such as groundhogs, chipmunks, prairie dogs, and marmots, are not commonly recognized as squirrels due to their lack of a bushy tail and different lifestyle compared to their tree-dwelling relatives.

15:40 Ground squirrels, such as prairie dogs, live in large communal groups and have a strong ability to smell the scent of other ground squirrels to determine blood relations.

20:53 Tree squirrels have the ability to turn their back legs around backwards, allowing them to run up and down trees with ease, and they also use their scent glands on their feet to leave scent trails when burying food, which helps them locate it later and also contributes to their role as "gardeners of the forest" by planting new trees.

25:36 Flying squirrels have a skin flap called a patagium that allows them to glide up to 150 feet in a purposeful direction, and there are endangered flying squirrel species, such as the Carolina northern flying squirrel, that benefit from land bridges and overpasses designed to help animals cross highways.

30:39 Squirrels used to be able to travel from Maine to Georgia without touching the ground due to the abundance of chestnut trees in North America, which positively correlated with the population density of squirrels, but the number of squirrels has decreased due to deforestation.

35:31 Squirrel migrations used to occur in large numbers, with thousands to tens of thousands of squirrels moving together in search of food, but these migrations are now rare due to a decrease in squirrel populations.

41:29 Squirrels were almost extinct in the mid to late 19th century in America, but were reintroduced to urban parks as a way to naturalize the environment and teach compassion to children.

46:38 The Eurasian red squirrels in the UK have been greatly diminished by the larger and more aggressive gray squirrels, with three quarters of the population now living in Scotland.

51:32 Squirrels dash in front of cars as an evolutionary instinct to get away from predators, and black squirrels are a result of a recessive gene causing abnormal pigmentation.

56:50 The hosts received a letter from a kindergarten class in Baltimore City who learned about the Native American planting technique called the three sisters, where fish are planted first to prepare the soil, corn grows tall to support beans, and squash keeps the soil moist, and they expressed their excitement and hope for a future episode dedicated to the topic.