5 Types Of North American Squirrels
Red squirrel
The American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is a tree squirrel found in areas with pine trees.
Their main diet consists of pine cone seeds. As it name would suggest, the American red squirrel is distinguished by its reddish fur.
It has a relatively smaller size and weighs between 200 and 250 g.
Since the squirrel has a large population in Canada, Alaska, British Colombia, and the Rocky Mountains, the species has been classified as a least concern species.
However, the squirrel's population is under threat of decline in Arizona.
Black squirrel
The black squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is named for its black fur which occurs due to a genetic mutation of white blood cells.
The squirrel prefers dark poorly lit forest areas for camouflage.
The black squirrel is found in most areas where there are gray squirrel populations and co-exist in peaceful relations but are hostile to other squirrels.
Probably to its genetic mutation, the black squirrel is more adaptable to cold areas as its fur can retain more heat.
Among humans, the black squirrel is admired due to its rarity and unique coloration and has been introduced in most areas of North America or reared in captivity in parks.
Eastern grey squirrel
The tree squirrel is native to North America and is easily identified from its gray fur.
The squirrel has a body length of 23-30cm and a tail length of 19-25cm.
The eastern gray squirrel can descend a tree head-first by rotating its hind ankle at an angle of 180 degrees.
The eastern gray species has been cited as a threat to the fox squirrel, and red squirrels exist harmoniously with the black squirrel.
The squirrel prefers areas of large forest cover with dense vegetation undergrowth.
Fox squirrel
The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) is a large tree squirrel with a body length of 17.7-27.6 inches and a weight of 500-1000 g.
Fox squirrels have brown-grey, brown-yellow, or brown-orange fur on their upper body depending on their geographical location.
The North American native occupies areas such as Canada, the Dakotas, Texas, and Colorado preferring mainly open areas with some trees especially oak, walnut, hickory, and pine
The western grey squirrel
The western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) is an arboreal rodent found in the western areas of the US and is considered to be more shy than the eastern gray squirrel.
They are the largest trees squirrels native to North America with a body-tail length of 50 cm and weight up to 1kg.
The diurnal and arboreal squirrel prefers spending most of its time on trees only coming to the ground to forage.
The species is threatened by habitat loss and degradation both due to human and non-human factors.