Most females begin their reproductive life at 1.25 years but can bear young as early as 5.5 months! Females may bear young twice a year for more than 8 years. The head and body length is from 23 to 30 centimeters (9.1 to 12 in), the tail from 19 to 25 centimeters (7.5 to 9.8 in) and the adult weight varies between 400 and 600 grams (14 and 21 oz).īreeding occurs in December-February and May-June and is slightly delayed in more northern latitudes. Of course, everyone recognizes squirrels by their large bushy tails. Eastern gray squirrels exhibit melanism, the opposite of albinism, which is very dark skin pigmentation common to squirrels found in the northern portions of the range (in Canada). Their fur underneath is gray to buff colored. The ears are pale gray to white and its tail is white to pale gray. The coat ranges from grizzled dark to pale gray and may have cinnamon or reddish tones. Sciurus carolinensis is a medium sized tree squirrel with no sexual dimorphism in size or coloration. Its distribution is closely correlated with the distribution of the eastern hardwood trees, especially oak, hickory, and chestnut. The eastern gray squirrel inhabits the forests of eastern North America, extending westward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Plains and eastern Texas and south from southern Canada to the Gulf Coast. The species name, carolinensis, refers, of course, to the Carolinas, where the species was first recorded and where the animal is still extremely common. This name alludes to the squirrel sitting in the shadow of its tail. The genus, Sciurus, is derived from two Greek words, skia, meaning “shadow,” and oura, meaning tail. Nantucket is unique in that it no longer has many species of small and medium sized mammals such as skunks, opossums, porcupines, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, and many of the other types of squirrels like red squirrels and southern flying squirrels that can be found throughout Massachusetts. Gray squirrels belong to the order Rodentia and the Family Sciuridae which includes tree Squirrels and Marmots, chipmunks, and woodchucks (neither of the last two currently are found on Nantucket). The three main categories of squirrels are tree ( Sciurus and Tamiasciurus), ground ( Spermophilus and mmospermphilus), and flying squirrels ( Glaucomys). North America supports 8 genera and 66 species of squirrels. The oldest squirrel fossil, Hesperopetes, dates back to the Chadronian (late Eocene, about 40–35 million years ago) and is similar to modern flying squirrels. The living squirrels are divided into five subfamilies, with about 58 genera and some 285 species. Introduced Rodentia nuisance species include the house mouse ( Mus musculus), brown or “Norway” rat ( Rattus norvegicus) common on Nantucket and famous denizen of seedy parts of the cities, the black rat ( Rattus rattus) which has been eradicated statewide.īack to our fluffy friends with better publicity agents. You’ll see a lot of “except in Nantucket County” entries on the right hand column of the table. This is a fascinating list showing a variety of hair-brained introductions (European Hare and European Rabbit) across the state and short lived heydays for various creatures (wolves and cougars). When you go to the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife’s web page mammal web page ( you’ll find a list of every mammal species found in the state. Gray squirrels ( Sciurus carolinensis) are thought to have arrived around 30 or so years ago most likely on the ferry hidden on a pallet of wood or in the recesses of a truck. Nantucket has such a limited number of mammals that a newcomer like the gray squirrel really sticks out. Today he was followed by a second squirrel and I immediately thought, “there goes the neighborhood!” Not that I have anything against gray squirrels, but they are a recently introduced species and, although so far they have stayed in their own little niche, in some locations on the mainland they have pushed out their brethren and taken over the environment. Managing Director UMass Boston Nantucket Field StationĮvery time I drive down the Field Station road, I see the same gray squirrel run across the road in almost the exact same location.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |