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Eastern gray squirrel - SCIURUS CAROLINENSIS
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Squirrel": "Squirrel" comes from the Middle English word
"squyrel," which came from the Greek "skiouros" for the animal.
Notice that the family name for these animals is "Sciuridae," which
may also be the derivation of our word "scurry."
Location: Eastern United States.
Habitat: Terrestrial. Woodlands, but also farmlands and parks.
Description: The ears of this squirrel are not especially large, and do not have the distinctive tufts of hair common to the European squirrel. The hind legs are longer than the front legs and the hind feet have 5 toes whereas the front feet have only 4 functional toes, all with long claws. The coat is gray on the back, and white underneath. In summer, the long, dense tail is edged with white hairs. This squirrel grows about 8 to 12 inches long, with another 6 to 12 inches for the tail. It weighs up to 1.5 pounds.
Behavior: This species of squirrel is strictly diurnal. At night, it retreats into hollows in trees or into its nest, made of branches and leaves, situated in a fork in the tree. It feeds on pine cones, nuts, berries, and also on insects, birds' eggs, and young birds.
Reproduction: The mating season is December through August. After a gestation period of about 40 days the female gives birth to two to five blind, furless young. They leave the nest after about six weeks. There are usually two litters per year.
Note: This species was introduced into Britain and spread so rapidly that it is now considered a dangerous pest in some agricultural areas.
Go to the Rodents Page to learn more about all the gnawing animals.
Or go to the Squirrel Index to study other
squirrels.
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