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Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern gray squirrels are a secretive species popular for their discrete behavior, especially when it comes to food. These tree squirrels do not hibernate.

Scientific Classification

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Rodentia
Family	Sciuridae
Genus	Sciurus
Subgenus	Sciurus
Scientific Name	Sciurus carolinensis

Quick Information

Also Known as	Gray or grey squirrel
Description	Color: Gray and brown body, white belly Length: Head to Body: 9.1-11.8 in (23-30 cm) Tail length: 7.5-9.8 in (19-25 cm) Weight: 14-21 oz (400-600 g)
Distribution	Eastern North America
Habitat	Dense woodland, hickory and oak forests, coniferous forests
Subspecies	1. S. c. carolinensis 2. S. c. extimus 3. S. c. fuliginosus 4. S. c. hypophaeus 5. S. c. pennsylvanicus
Sound & Communication	Low-pitched ‘mehr, mehr, mehr’, for warding off predators emits “quaa” “kuk” call, the purring sound is “muk muk”
Lifespan	In the wild: 6-12 years In captivity: Around 20 years
Diet	Berries, tree buds, tree bark, nuts, acorns, and seeds
Adaptations	1. Its sharp teeth are adapted to break nuts and hard seeds 2. Its ability to jump from one tree to another is an adaptation to hide and run from predators
Predators	Raccoons, snakes, feral cats, weasels, foxes, dogs, owls, and African harrier-hawks
IUCN Conservation Status	Least concern

Behavior

These gray squirrels are known for hiding their food and retrieving them later.
They are more active during the day.
The squirrels can permanently stay at one place.

Mating and Reproduction

Eastern gray squirrels are known to breed twice a year. Two phases like December to February and May to June are their mating season. Adult males start to follow females when the latter enter their estrus stage. The copulation period is for 30 seconds maximum. After that, the females’ vagina closes itself. After a gestation period of 44 days, 2-4 young squirrels are born in each litter.

Life-cycle

Newborn squirrels are blind and weigh around 0.4 oz (14 g) and they do not have any fur on them. Around 7^th week, they are weaned by their parents until the tenth week when they are no longer a juvenile. It is around 9^th months, they are called adults. Male squirrels are sexually active when they are 11 months old and for female, maturity comes around 5.5 months.

Interesting Facts

Some males despite reaching the adult state, cannot become sexually mature if they stay with male alpha squirrels. Females also, despite reaching the reproductive age, often start mating after they become 1.5 years of age.
They have been a popular food delicacy for Native Americans as well as modern Americans but according to doctors consumption of these squirrels is detrimental for human brains.
The Latin name ‘carolinensis’ is given to indicate that the species is first recorded in Calorina.

References

Published on August 6th 2019 by Sahana Kanjilal under Coniferous Forest Animals.
Article was last reviewed on 5th December 2022.