Peter Darcy – August 10th, 2025
| The answer to the question in the title is this: Maybe. By now, most Catholics know that Pope Leo XIV’s surname is Prevost, so I’m sure historians and animal lovers will soon be digging into his family history to find out if one of his ancestors was a French naturalist or something who gave his name to this delightful squirrel. Behold the Prevost Squirrel! |
| That’s its actual name, and you have to admit, he’s kinda cute. An added dimension of his charisma is that his wardrobe is not as, hmm…shall we say…unimaginative as the pope’s. This squirrel’s tri-color coat is absolutely vibrant. |
 The Wikipedia article says that the Prevost Squirrel is “among the most colourful mammals in the world with its black upperparts and tail, reddish-orange underparts, whitish thighs and flanks, and grey to grey-white cheeks.”In some areas of Asia they have olive-colored fur in place of the grey, whoa! He’s definitely one of the more stylish mammals I’ve ever seen. Like popes, these guys are on the endangered species list…Just kidding! In fact, they are in the “least threatened” species category because they’re so fast and can jump huge distances when they need to make a quick escape. They’re also very adaptable and tolerant of habitat changes which makes them true survivors. These squirrels are very numerous in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Island of Borneo. No doubt, the far eastern connection adds to their mystique. |
| The Name(s) |
 The name is a bit of a mystery, but that too is part of the charm. Technically, this species is called Prevost’s Squirrel being named for a French geologist, Louis-Constant Prévost (1787– 1856)…who has no known connection to the animal! His connection to the pope is probably even more tenuous, and it might just take an authority like the pope to solve that mystery. As far as we know, the 19th century Parisian geologist specialized in underwater volcanoes and never traveled to the Far East. So there you go. As to the biological name, I think it’s as colorful as this squirrel’s outfit. The species is called the Callosciuri prevostii |
| which is a Latin name but has Greek all over it. In Greek, kalo means “beautiful” and sciuri is a hybrid word formed by skia, “shadow”, and oura, “tail”—so this one is literally the lovely shadow tail squirrel. Didn’t I tell you this guy was marvelous? |
| The Family |
| Needless to say, his biological name reflects the absolutely dynamic family from which he hales, called the sciuridae: the very large and diverse squirrel clan. It has 272 species and an additional 42 species of flying squirrels. Amazing creatures! I would, however, advise you to please avoid using that awful term rodent when talking about squirrels. Horror of horrors! The squirrels themselves are quick to distance their breed from their ratty cousins, pointing out clear differences in tails, bone structure, diet, and habitats, etc.—and correctly so. They insist that exalted tree dwellers are far superior to the street thugs who inhabit sewers. Anyway, that’s an ancient family feud that we’re not going to resolve in a short article.  But a few other of Prevost’s direct cousins are an enormously fun and idiosyncratic bunch, a couple of which he’s very proud. His family includes: Marmots (as in ground hog / woodchucks; I’m sure we can all think of one famous Pennsylvania marmot called Puxatawny Phil);Those cute little chipmunks (Prevost claims to know Alvin, Simon, and Theodore personally, but he brags a lot, so I’m skeptical); andPrairie dogs (Note: they will bark, I mean “chuff” at you if you call them dogs. They’re squirrels!) All in all, this sciuridae family is a fun bunch that gets loads of attention in popular culture, even if they can be a bit annoying presences in your back yard or around your birdfeeder. |
| Amazingly Versatile |
| I think that anyone who has spent any time watching the antics of squirrels surely must marvel at the versatility of this little creature. They are the ninja warriors of the animal kingdom. Here’s why: The average tree squirrel can leap up to ten times his own body length. He can do that because of his disproportionately long and elastic hind legs that act like the rubber band on a slingshot;He also has an obsessive way of getting whatever he wants; he’s relentless, and this is best illustrated by his front incisor teeth which never stop growing because they’re always being worn down by chewing on inedible things—or perhaps I should say chewing through things to get to his prize;  Squirrels can run up to 20 mph when they need to scoot; they can add amazing evasion tactics by running in a zig-zag fashion, so it’s virtually impossible to catch them;Their extremely sharp claws allow them to hang on to just about anything that has texture and gives them an astonishing ability to climb things; Sub-point 1: They can also scurry sideways on tree trunks; if you spot one, he’s likely to disappear around the back of the tree in the next second;Sub-point 2: His hind feet can rotate backwards which is why he can hang upside down on a tree and eat things or just glare at you from above like you’re the one who needs a gymnastics lesson;  They’re intelligent, curious, and insistent little things. Squirrels have an amazing ability to employ trial-and-error tactics to achieve success, as has been shown in numerous amazing “squirrel obstacle course” videos on the Internet (see the one I’ve included at the end).They hide nuts all over the place because they don’t trust other squirrels, who have been known to spy on their mates and steal their stash; one squirrel, the North American Fox squirrel, has merited a 90% success rate at remembering where he hid his food;They always remain fantastically balanced whether perched on a branch, running, or flying from one branch to another; it’s all due to their twitchy tail that acts as a rudder to keep them upright in any circumstance, and yes, for that reason, they do always land on their feet when they fall (cats have nothing on these guys);Finally, don’t even think of sneaking up on them or trying to catch them unawares; due to the placement of their eyes toward the sides of their heads, their peripheral vision is many degrees wider than that of humans. Squirrely talents are a double-edged sword, I realize. On the one hand, their versatility makes them extremely adaptable and resourceful for survival. On the other hand, when they are coming to get your birdfeeder, there’s almost nothing you can do to stop them. I always strive to be on the side of the angels, but I can say with assurance that if I’m ever in a fight that involves squirrels, I definitely want to be on the side of the squirrels. |