Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

 

Source: http://www.angelfire.com/fl/scalisti/foxsqrls.html

 

 

Taxonomic Level:

  1. Order - Rodentia

  2. Family - Sciuridae

  3. Genus - Sciurus

  4. Species - Sciurus niger

 

Common Names:

Fox Squirrel, Stump-eared Squirrel, and Cat Squirrel

 

Characteristics:

         The Fox squirrel is the largest of the tree squirrels. It has a reddish to brown tent to its body and a blackish tent to its head. Their adult total length is 19 to 28 inches long. The tail is 10 to 15 inches long, hind foot is 2 to 4 inches long, and it usually weighs between 1.5 to 4 pounds. The Fox squirrel is considerably larger than its cousin the Gray squirrel. They usually live to be anywhere from 7 to 11 years old, but in some instances,such as a sanctuary, they have been known to live up to 18 years. Fox squirrels have four sets of whiskers located above and below the eyes, on the nose, and in front of their throat. Their whiskers serve as touch receptors. They have a great eyesight, wide field of vision, and a well developed sense of smell and hearing. They are excellent climbers, because of their claws and powerful hind legs. They are well fit for jumping, which gives them the ability to jump from branch to branch and escape from danger easily. It does not hibernate, it is active all year. It is mostly active in the early morning and late afternoon, foraging for food and burying it for later. Fox squirrels have two coats, a summer and winter coat. The winter coat is generally a little more dull in appearence and a little darker, but not to much difference between summer and winter. Their long bushy tails are used for balance when running, jumping, and walking. Also the tail is used for wrapping themselves up to keep warm in harsh climates, and serves as a warning sign for when the squirrel is upset or agitated. Similar to the gray squirrel, they give off a "squawking" bark which is used to alert other animals and squirrels of immediate danger. The male fox squirrel does not differ much from the female when it comes to size and coloration. The track left behind by a fox squirrel is generally larger than the gray squirrel. There tracks are a little bigger than a quarter, but still hardly seen in covered soil. They are not very sociable animals, although they will play together, they like to keep to themselves especially when feeding and foraging. The home range of a fox squirrel is roughly 2 to 6 acres, which is used for nesting, feeding, and breeding.

Picture of squirrel nest below:

Source: by Jim Mason - www.agnr.umd.edu/.../large/squirrel_nest_1.JPG

 

Picture of squirrel tracks:

 

 

 

Source: htt://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=Fox+Squirrel+Tracks

 

Distribution Patterns:

Usually, the home range for a fox squirrel is 10 to 50 acres. Fox squirrels are found throughout the eastern United States. Their range extends from Florida, north to Canada, and west to the Dakotas, Texas, and Colorado. They are generally not as many found in the New England states. They also inhabit Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. Also fox squirrels have been introduced into California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. They are commonly found throughout the whole state of Virginia, especially in the Appalachian Mountains. They can also be found throughout the world except Australia, Madagascar, and the Polar and Desert regions.

Source: http://images.google.com/images?q=Fox%20Squirrel%20Distribution&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

 

Habitat:

Fox squirrels prefer high ground and large trees. They prefer open mature stands of pines, oaks, and sweetgum. They like areas with minimum underbrush. They love to forage on walnuts, acorns, and pecans. When nuts are not available they will eat flowers and leaves. Also you will find them foraging through fruit trees. They mainly prefer large trees with an abundance of nuts, large trees for nest and cavities, and location near a stream or river. Their diet mainly is composed of ; nuts, acorns, insects, fruits, seeds, and blossoms. Also they will forage around crop fields.

 

Subspecies:

 

Predators:

Timber Snake, Hawk, Barred Owl, Bobcat, etc...

 

Reference:

 

 

Jimmy Fuller

April 8, 2004

 

Link to Wild Turkey

Source: www.passporttotexas.com/birds/nov.html