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Description
Despite having only arrived on the continent about 1.2 million years ago, squirrels have evolved and adapted fast enough (likely helped along by their rapid rodentian breeding) that one small clade has already become distant enough from their ancestors to be considered their own genus. Descended from within the dwarf squirrels, the gum squirrels (Australosciurus) are three species of squirrel indigenous to the eucalyptus forests of the east coast, mostly found in the subtropics as far south as what was once central New South Wales. These are the first squirrels to adapt to living in eucalypt forests and as such they have developed numerous unique adaptations and behaviours that already set them apart from their not far removed ancestors. Although they will feed on fruit if they come across it, the rarity of it here in comparison to rainforests as well as the lack of soft, palatable, non-toxic foliage has meant that seeds and insects now form the majority of their diet. However, they are also fairly unique among squirrels in consuming a considerable amount of nectar which the lap from eucalypt flowers with their unusually large and rugose tongues, fueling their high metabolism in this otherwise rather resource-poor environment. As they are diurnal rather than nocturnal like nectarivorous possums and the Honey Potoroo, they face much more competition from nectar-feeding birds, notably territorial honeyeaters, and this will sometimes result in physical conflict between groups of squirrels and songbirds in order to secure their rights to feed at a particular blooming tree. Despite often occurring in smaller groups it is usually the gum squirrels that come out on top, forcing the honeyeaters to back down and to feed elsewhere in their territory. As an additional adaption to life in Australia's endless eucalypt forests, they have learnt to reopen the incisions in the trees created by petaurid gliders during the night to access the oozing resin beneath, which supplies them both with food and hydration in this drier environment.

For the speculative evolution project Australia: The Next 54 Million Years. See more here: specevo.jcink.net/index.php?sh…

Description
Despite having only arrived on the continent about 1.2 million years ago, squirrels have evolved and adapted fast enough (likely helped along by their rapid rodentian breeding) that one small clade has already become distant enough from their ancestors to be considered their own genus. Descended from within the dwarf squirrels, the gum squirrels (Australosciurus) are three species of squirrel indigenous to the eucalyptus forests of the east coast, mostly found in the subtropics as far south as what was once central New South Wales. These are the first squirrels to adapt to living in eucalypt forests and as such they have developed numerous unique adaptations and behaviours that already set them apart from their not far removed ancestors. Although they will feed on fruit if they come across it, the rarity of it here in comparison to rainforests as well as the lack of soft, palatable, non-toxic foliage has meant that seeds and insects now form the majority of their diet. However, they are also fairly unique among squirrels in consuming a considerable amount of nectar which the lap from eucalypt flowers with their unusually large and rugose tongues, fueling their high metabolism in this otherwise rather resource-poor environment. As they are diurnal rather than nocturnal like nectarivorous possums and the Honey Potoroo, they face much more competition from nectar-feeding birds, notably territorial honeyeaters, and this will sometimes result in physical conflict between groups of squirrels and songbirds in order to secure their rights to feed at a particular blooming tree. Despite often occurring in smaller groups it is usually the gum squirrels that come out on top, forcing the honeyeaters to back down and to feed elsewhere in their territory. As an additional adaption to life in Australia's endless eucalypt forests, they have learnt to reopen the incisions in the trees created by petaurid gliders during the night to access the oozing resin beneath, which supplies them both with food and hydration in this drier environment.

For the speculative evolution project Australia: The Next 54 Million Years. See more here: specevo.jcink.net/index.php?sh…