Species: Sciurus carolinensis

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Species

Mammals

Show on Lists

Terrestrial vertebrates: mammals

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Mammalia

Order

Rodentia

Family

Sciuridae

Genus

Sciurus

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104371

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Eastern Grey Squirrel - écureuil gris

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Rodents

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Rodentia - Sciuridae - Sciurus - Individuals inhabiting the Mississippi River floodplain and delta region are smaller than individuals from adjacent areas; allozyme analyses revealed that there are differences among eastern and western populations as defined by their geographic location relative to the present channel of the lower Mississippi River (Moncrief 1993).

Ecology and Life History

Migration

true - false - false - Massive movements may occur in some years.

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

false

Food Comments

Diet consists of seeds, fruits, nuts, fungi, occasional insects and small vertebrates (e.g., bird eggs). Scatterhoarder; buries nuts and acorn in fall for later consumption (winter-spring).

Reproduction Comments

In Illinois, most breeding occurs in December-February and May-June; slightly later in more northern latitudes (see Koprowski 1994). One or two litters/year. First litter is produced mostly in February-March, sometimes as early as January in some areas; second litter, July or August. Gestation lasts 44 days. Litter size most often is 2-3. Young are tended by female. Weaning is completed at about 10-12 weeks (in spring and/or late summer-early fall). Most breed as yearlings, sometimes sooner (as early as 5 months) or later. Reproductive output, including the percentage of adults that produce young and the number of litters/year, is positively correlated with mast abundance. Maximum reproductive longevity is about a decade.

Ecology Comments

Fall density generally ranges from 0.5 to 14/ha, but 3.2/ha generally is considered high for extensive forested tracts; densities of 21/ha or more may occur in city parks; populations tend to increase after bumper mast crops, decrease if mast crop fails (Teaford 1986). May aggregate at abundant food sources. Home range averages 0.5-10 ha, with older males tending to have the largest ranges (Teaford 1986); usually home range is less than 5 ha (see Koprowski 1994). Not territorial, home range overlap is extensive; social system is characterized by a linear dominance hierarchy. Disperses up to a few kilometers from natal area upon approaching sexual maturity. Large-scale one-way emigrations have been observed, generally coinciding with high population density and mast crop failure. Taken by many predators, but predation does not appear to limit populations (Teaford 1986). Mean annual mortality reported for adults is 42-57% (Koprowski 1994).

Length

Weight

710

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-06

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-06

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

Eastern U.S. and adjacent southern Canada; southern Quebec to Manitoba, south to eastern Texas and Florida. Range has been extended through introductions into Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, California, Oregon, Washington, and Montana (Teaford 1986, Koprowski 1994). Introduced also in the British Isles, Italy, South Africa, and Australia (extirpated by 1973) (see Koprowski 1994).

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104371