country_of_origin best ed
___MASK40___ is the world ' s second - largest and second - most - populous continent . At about 30 . 3 million km² ( 11 . 7 million square miles ) including adjacent islands , it covers 6 % of Earth ' s total surface area and 20 . 4 % of its total land area . With 1 . 1 billion people as of 2013 , it accounts for about 15 % of the world ' s human population . The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north , both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast , the Indian Ocean to the southeast , and the Atlantic Ocean to the west . The continent includes ___MASK45___ and various archipelagos . It contains 54 fully recognized sovereign states ( countries ), nine territories and two " de facto " independent states with limited or no recognition . Tree squirrels are the members of the squirrel family ( Sciuridae ) most commonly referred to as " squirrels ". They include over a hundred primarily tree - dwelling species , native to all continents except Antarctica and ___MASK35___ . They do not form a single natural , or monophyletic , group , but instead are related to the various other animals in the squirrel family , including ground squirrels , flying squirrels , marmots , and chipmunks . The defining characteristic that is used to determine which of the various species of Sciuridae are tree squirrels is therefore not so dependent on their physiology , but their habitat . Tree squirrels live mostly among trees , as opposed to other squirrels that live in burrows in the ground or among rocks . However , there is one exception to this rule , as physiological distinction does make a difference in regard to flying squirrels , who also make their home in trees , but have unique physical characteristics that separate them from their tree squirrel cousins ( specifically , special flaps of skin that act as glider wings , allowing them to " fly "). Marmots are large squirrels in the genus Marmota , of which there are 15 species . Some species live in mountainous areas , such as the Alps , northern Apennines , Carpathians , Tatras , and Pyrenees in ___MASK28___ and northwestern Asia ; the Rocky Mountains , Black Hills , the Cascade and Pacific Ranges , and the Sierra Nevada in North America ; and the Deosai Plateau in Pakistan and Ladakh in India . Other species prefer rough grassland and can be found widely across North America and the Eurasian Steppe . The similarly - sized but more social prairie dog is not classified in the genus " Marmota " but in the related genus " Cynomys ". The dormouse is a rodent of the family Gliridae ( this family is also variously called Myoxidae or Muscardinidae by different taxonomists ). Dormice are mostly found in ___MASK28___ , although some live in ___MASK40___ and Asia . They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation . As only one species of dormouse is native to the British Isles , in everyday English usage " dormouse " can refer either to that one species ( the hazel dormouse ) or to the family as a whole . Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae , a family that includes small or medium - size rodents . The squirrel family includes tree squirrels , ground squirrels , chipmunks , marmots ( including woodchucks ), flying squirrels , and prairie dogs amongst other rodents . Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas , Eurasia , and ___MASK40___ , and were introduced by humans to ___MASK35___ . The earliest known squirrels date from the Eocene period and are most closely related to the mountain beaver and to the dormouse among other living rodent families . Prairie dogs ( genus Cynomys ) are herbivorous burrowing rodents native to the grasslands of North America . The five species are : black - tailed , white - tailed , Gunnison ' s , Utah , and Mexican prairie dogs . They are a type of ground squirrel , found in the United States , ___MASK90___ and Mexico . In Mexico , prairie dogs are found primarily in the northern states , which lie at the southern end of the Great Plains : northeastern Sonora , north and northeastern Chihuahua , northern Coahuila , northern Nuevo León , and northern Tamaulipas . In the United States , they range primarily to the west of the Mississippi River , though they have also been introduced in a few eastern locales . Despite the name , they are not canines . Best Ed is a Canadian animated television series created by Rick Marshall . The series premiered in 2008 on Teletoon . The series chronicles the adventures of an excessively helpful and enthusiastic dog named Ed and his best friend , Doug the squirrel , whom everyone calls `` Buddy '' because Ed refers to him as best buddy . They live in their fictional hometown of Swellville . Best Ed is produced by 9 Story Entertainment and animated using Adobe Flash software .