Fox Squirrel

Description:

From Wikipedia: "Fox squirrels are strictly diurnal, non-territorial, and spend more of their time on the ground than most other tree squirrels. They are still, however, agile climbers. They construct two types of homes called "dreys", depending on the season. Summer dreys are often little more than platforms of sticks high in the branches of trees, while winter dens are usually hollowed out of tree trunks by a succession of occupants over as many as 30 years. Cohabitation of these dens is not uncommon, particularly among breeding pairs."

Habitat:

"The fox squirrel's natural range extends throughout the eastern United States, north into the southern prairie provinces of Canada, and west to the Dakotas, Colorado, and Texas. They are absent (although sometimes vagrants) from New England, New Jersey, most of New York, as well as Northern and eastern Pennsylvania. They have been introduced to both northern and southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington, and New Mexico. While very versatile in their habitat choices, fox squirrels are most often found in forest patches of 40 hectares or less with an open understory, or in urban neighborhoods with trees. They thrive best among trees such as oak, hickory, walnut, and pine that produce winter-storable foods like nuts. Western range extensions in Great Plains regions such as Kansas are associated with riverine corridors of cottonwood. A subspecies native to several eastern US states is the Delmarva fox squirrel (S. n. cinereus)."

Notes:

Saw this little buddy running straight up a 50 ft palm tree and disappeared in the palm fronds. Why they would do that remains a mystery. I was worried a bird would come out of nowhere and snatch them up!