Eastern Gray Squirrel
Welcome to this week’s Wildlife of the Week!
Our species this week is the Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
Our Wildlife of the Week is the Eastern gray squirrel. They have gray fur with a white underside. Some individuals may have a reddish tint to their fur. Its bushy tail, which is as long as its body, is used to maintain balance as it scampers among treetops. It is like a rudder that helps the squirrel in its long jumps. The furry tail serves as a warm winter covering and also acts as a distraction to predators.
They are found throughout the eastern United States from the Gulf Coast into Canada and as far north as Maine.
Their favorite food is nuts, for that reason their primary habitat in large tracts of oak and hickory forests. They will also feed on tree bark, seeds and fungi. They have different diet plans for various seasons. They feed on buds of hardwood trees in spring, winged seeds of maple in summer, along with some other berries and other wild fruits. During autumn, their diet consists mostly acorns, walnuts, bitternuts, hickory nuts, beechnuts, pine seeds and butternuts. They are industrious hoarders as winter approaches and they build up their winter cache. Squirrels have a very good sense of smell that allows them to locate their hidden stashes.
They are sociable animals and can be found in small groups and they coexist easily with humans often making their dens in backyard trees in urban areas. They construct their dens on the bare branches and in hollow branches of trees. They also use the abandoned nests of other birds for shelter. Their dens are lined with mosses and dried plants and leaves, which help in the insulation of the den and reduce heat loss.
There are two breeding seasons per year, one from December to February, and the second from May to late June. Gestation period is 44 days and the litter will consist of 2 to 6 tiny pink naked babies. They can live for 12 years in captivity but in the wild their life expectancy is three years.
They are a common prey species and their predators include hawks, foxes, weasels, raccoons, snakes, bobcats, owls and feral cats.
Fun Fact: The species has a varied repertoire of vocalizations, including a squeak similar to that of a mouse, a chatter, and a raspy "mehr mehr mehr". Other methods of communication include tail-flicking and other gestures, including facial expressions. Tail flicking and a "kuk"call are used to warn other squirrels about predators. They also make an affectionate coo-purring sound that biologists call the "muk-muk" sound. This is used as a contact sound between a mother and her kits and in adulthood, by the male when he courts the female during mating season.
They are commonly seen on the refuge and can be spied now busily scampering about hiding nuts for the approaching winter. (Photos by Tom Ress)