Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox
Squirrel - the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America.
At first blush you might guess this to be a
Red Squirrel. Fox squirrels are the
larger of the two and have rusty brown fur with a pale yellow to orange
belly. Lacking in this photo is the Red
Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and more pronounced white rings
around the eyes. The rusty coloring and
large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox
Squirrel. From time to time this species
produces black squirrels with a white belly, nose and white-tipped ears. The translation of the Latin - Sciurus niger - is black squirrel.
The bright orange pelt of this animal and
it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible
identification. Unlike the Eastern Gray
Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground
foraging. They return with their food to
a preferred dining location. If you
happen-upon a debris midden of corn cobs and split nutshells you will have found
‘that spot’.
This species also buries nuts
for retrieval at a future date - which probably accounts for all the tiny oak
trees popping-up around the joint.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment