Grey Squirrel

Description:

Squirrels are easily recognized with their cylindrical bodies and bushy tails. They show a marked difference in coat colour in winter and summer. The summer coat is generally a brownish-grey, while the winter coat is a silver-grey. The underparts are white or just off-white. Their bushy tails have several uses; they serve for balance while running, as a rudder when jumping, as a signal flag when communicating and as a blanket that they wrap around for warmth when sleeping. The eyes are large surrounded by a light white or off-white coloured ring. Placed on the sides of the head they give the squirrel a wide field of vision. There are touch sensitive whiskers (vibrissae) on the head, feet, and the outsides of the legs. Squirrels are extremely agile when moving through the trees and have prehensile limbs and long sharp claws for gripping. Their incisors grow continuously and are worn back down with use. Although not common white albinos and melanistic black forms also occur in some populations. Size Total Length 50 cm; weight 600g '

Habitat:

A local in our area that is hated by our local Jackie hangman.

Notes:

Native to the hardwood forests of North America, the Grey squirrel was introduced into South Africa by Cecil John Rhodes. At the turn of the 19th century he released squirrels on Groote Schuur estate in Cape Town. By the 1970’s their range had extended as far as Swellendam in the Western Cape. Their distribution is patchy and discontinuous being closely associated with oak trees and pine plantations, and expands and contracts with the establishment and removal of the trees. They are also found in vineyards and deciduous fruit orchards where pine trees have been planted as windbreaks. Readily available water is also an important requirement. Grey squirrels are unable to utilize fynbos vegetation, and this serves to buffer its spread. Most of the indigenous trees do not bear fruit or berries suitable for their food requirements. To date their range remains confined to the south-western Cape and in most cases the squirrels will only expand their range by introduction new plantations.Restricted to pine and oak plantations, as well as suburban gardens in the south-western Cape. Natural distribution is North America.