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Fox Squirrel

Sciurus niger

Notes:

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. They are gregarious and playful, often chasing each other up and down trees and across yards and clearings. They have a large vocabulary, consisting most notably of an assortment of clucking and chucking sounds, not unlike some "game" birds, and they warn the listening world of approaching threats with distress screams. In the spring and fall, groups of fox squirrels clucking and chucking together can make a small ruckus. They also make high-pitched whines during mating. When threatening another fox squirrel, they will stand upright with their tail over their back and flick it.[10] They are impressive jumpers, easily spanning fifteen feet in horizontal leaps and free-falling twenty feet or more to a soft landing on a limb or trunk. (Wikipedia)

1 Species ID Suggestions

Jellis
Jellis 11 years ago
Fox Squirrel
(Sciurus niger) Fox squirrel


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13 Comments

Nice series!

sarah in the woods
sarah in the woods 10 years ago

Thank you Ava. We love participating in Project Noah and have learned so much already.

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Hi Sarah, That's all so cool! What a great mom you are to have nature and science be such a part of your family life!

sarah in the woods
sarah in the woods 10 years ago

Hi Ava, just to let you know, four of my kids are on here. I tried giving them student accounts on my account but that wasn't working very well for us, so I gave each of them their own account. For the most part, we all take our own pictures and do our own IDing, but sometimes we help each other out. There's a link to my blog on my profile page.

MIAH
MIAH 10 years ago

No Sarah in the Woods is my mama.

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks miahmelea. Are you also Sarah in the Woods?

MIAH
MIAH 10 years ago

Those are good pictures

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 10 years ago

Thanks NewYorker, I think all squirrels everywhere are about as cute as it gets.

Evergreen
Evergreen 10 years ago

Very cute squirrel.

bhargav.py
bhargav.py 11 years ago

Amazing!

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thanks PerilsofPlastic. This one was quite brazen; hanging out in front of the zoo with people walking all around it, completely unconcerned.

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 11 years ago

adorable! I saw it yesterday but had to sign off. First thing in the morning,I said , "I have to look at Ava's squirrel."

Ava T-B
Ava T-B 11 years ago

Thank you so much for the ID Jellis!

Ava T-B
Spotted by
Ava T-B

San Diego, California, USA

Spotted on Jun 8, 2012
Submitted on Nov 1, 2012

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