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Gray squirrels usually breed at 10—14 months of age. Yearlings have only one litter per year but adults may breed twice annually depending on food availability. Winter breeding occurs in January to February and summer breeding from May to July. The 2—3 young are born after a 44—day gestation period and are weaned at 8—10 weeks. Red squirrels tend to prefer tree leaf nests over cavities, but sometimes use rock dens and burrows. Age at first breeding is 10—12 months, red squirrels typically have a single litter, with 1—7 young born during March-May after a 31—35 day gestation period.
The young are weaned at 7—8 weeks. Gray squirrels have diverse diets, however, nuts such as oak acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, and walnuts may comprise three quarters of their annual diet. They also eat berries, fruits, seeds, buds, and flowers, as well as cultivated grains. Red squirrels are also opportunistic, but most commonly feed on conifer seeds. They also eat fungi, buds, and the inner bark of trees, and occasionally nuts, seeds, fruits, grains, insect larvae, and bird nestlings. Gray squirrels are best described as crepuscular active at dawn and dusk in spring, summer, and fall but are active only during midday in winter.
They may be especially active in fall when nuts are abundant. They are not territorial, but may defend the immediate area around a nest site.
Squirrel - Wikipedia
Red squirrels are active during the day but may rest during periods of intense midday heat. During severe winter weather, they may remain inactive in their nests. Juveniles establish home ranges on, or adjacent to, that of their mother. They are territorial and defend their areas against other red squirrels. Gray squirrels are tolerant of human presence and often live in urban or suburban areas with large, mature shade trees. They are also typically found in extensive mature hardwood forests, especially oak-hickory forests, often with dense understory vegetation.
Red squirrels are found primarily in mature coniferous forests, typically pine, spruce, or balsam fir forests. In suburban areas, they are often found in small pine plantations or woodlots interspersed with some hardwoods. Squirrels live in the habitats that contain their preferred foods. Electrified netting or other small electric fences may be useful in keeping squirrels out of gardens and small orchards. A small dome or cage of chicken wire placed over individual plants or small rows can protect plants until they get large enough to be uninteresting to the squirrels.
Squirrels can enter attics, crawl spaces, or sheds for nesting or shelter and may damage the structure, pull apart insulation, or chew electrical wires. Be careful not to block squirrels inside as they may do considerable damage trying to get out. Trim branches and trees within 6—8 feet of the building to prevent squirrels from jumping onto your roof. Mothballs may sometimes discourage squirrels from using crawl spaces or other enclosed spaces, but do not use mothballs in human-occupied dwellings. Commercial taste repellents e. Squirrels may only be sickened and dead squirrels may cause secondary poisoning of raptors, domestic pets, and other scavengers.
It is illegal to use poisons to eliminate wildlife, even if the animals are in a dwelling or other building. Bird feeders on poles may be protected with commercial conical squirrel guards that prevent a climbing squirrel from getting past the cone. Spilled seed attracts mice and squirrels to the ground below the feeder; predators may then be attracted to the rodents. Traps may be effective in removing squirrels within an attic or other confined space. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Extant families in order Rodentia. Aplodontiidae Mountain beaver Gliridae Dormice Sciuridae Squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, susliks and prairie dogs. Dipodoidea Dipodidae Jerboas, jumping mice and birch mice Muroidea Platacanthomyidae Oriental dormice Spalacidae Zokors, bamboo rats, mole rats, blind mole rats Calomyscidae Mouse-like hamsters Nesomyidae Malagasy rats and relatives Cricetidae Hamsters and relatives Muridae House mouse and relatives.
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Anomaluridae Anomalures Pedetidae Springhares. Extant species of family Sciuridae subfamilies Ratufinae and Sciurillinae. Cream-coloured giant squirrel Ratufa affinis Black giant squirrel Ratufa bicolor Indian giant squirrel Ratufa indica Grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macroura. Neotropical pygmy squirrel Sciurillus pusillus. Extant species of family Sciuridae subfamily Callosciurinae.
Where do squirrels live?
Ear-spot squirrel Callosciurus adamsi Kloss's squirrel Callosciurus albescens Kinabalu squirrel Callosciurus baluensis Grey-bellied squirrel Callosciurus caniceps Pallas's squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus Finlayson's squirrel Callosciurus finlaysonii Inornate squirrel Callosciurus inornatus Mentawai squirrel Callosciurus melanogaster Black-striped squirrel Callosciurus nigrovittatus Plantain squirrel Callosciurus notatus Borneo black-banded squirrel Callosciurus orestes Phayre's squirrel Callosciurus phayrei Prevost's squirrel Callosciurus prevostii Irrawaddy squirrel Callosciurus pygerythrus Anderson's squirrel Callosciurus quinquestriatus.
Bornean mountain ground squirrel Dremomys everetti Red-throated squirrel Dremomys gularis Orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel Dremomys lokriah Perny's long-nosed squirrel Dremomys pernyi Red-hipped squirrel Dremomys pyrrhomerus Asian red-cheeked squirrel Dremomys rufigenis.
Philippine pygmy squirrel Exilisciurus concinnus Least pygmy squirrel Exilisciurus exilis Tufted pygmy squirrel Exilisciurus whiteheadi. Sculptor squirrel Glyphotes simus. Montane long-nosed squirrel Hyosciurus heinrichi Lowland long-nosed squirrel Hyosciurus ileile. Four-striped ground squirrel Lariscus hosei Three-striped ground squirrel Lariscus insignis Niobe ground squirrel Lariscus niobe Mentawai three-striped squirrel Lariscus obscurus. Berdmore's ground squirrel Menetes berdmorei.
Squirrels: Diet, Habits & Other Facts
Black-eared squirrel Nannosciurus melanotis. Secretive dwarf squirrel Prosciurillus abstrusus Whitish dwarf squirrel Prosciurillus leucomus Celebes dwarf squirrel Prosciurillus murinus Sanghir squirrel Prosciurillus rosenbergii Weber's dwarf squirrel Prosciurillus weberi.
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Shrew-faced squirrel Rhinosciurus laticaudatus. Red-bellied squirrel Rubrisciurus rubriventer. Davao squirrel Sundasciurus davensis Horse-tailed squirrel Sundasciurus hippurus Northern Palawan tree squirrel Sundasciurus juvencus Mindanao squirrel Sundasciurus mindanensis Culion tree squirrel Sundasciurus moellendorffi Philippine tree squirrel Sundasciurus philippinensis Palawan montane squirrel Sundasciurus rabori Samar squirrel Sundasciurus samarensis Southern Palawan tree squirrel Sundasciurus steerii Subgenus Sundasciurus: Brooke's squirrel Sundasciurus brookei Fraternal squirrel Sundasciurus fraterculus Jentink's squirrel Sundasciurus jentinki Low's squirrel Sundasciurus lowii Slender squirrel Sundasciurus tenuis.
Himalayan striped squirrel Tamiops mcclellandii Maritime striped squirrel Tamiops maritimus Cambodian striped squirrel Tamiops rodolphii Swinhoe's striped squirrel Tamiops swinhoei. Layard's palm squirrel Funambulus layardi Indian palm squirrel Funambulus palmarum Nilgiri palm squirrel Funambulus sublineatus Dusky palm squirrel Funambulus obscurus Jungle palm squirrel Funambulus tristriatus Subgenus Prasadsciurus: Northern palm squirrel Funambulus pennantii. Extant species of family Sciuridae subfamily Sciurinae , Sciurini tribe. Tufted Ground Squirrel Rheithrosciurus macrotis.
Bangs's Mountain Squirrel Syntheosciurus brochus. Extant species of family Sciuridae subfamily Sciurinae , Pteromyini Flying squirrels tribe. Kashmir flying squirrel Eoglaucomys fimbriatus. Southern flying squirrel Glaucomys volans Northern flying squirrel Glaucomys sabrinus Humboldt's flying squirrel Glaucomys oregonensis. Particolored flying squirrel Hylopetes alboniger Afghan flying squirrel Hylopetes baberi Bartel's flying squirrel Hylopetes bartelsi Gray-cheeked flying squirrel Hylopetes lepidus Palawan flying squirrel Hylopetes nigripes Indochinese flying squirrel Hylopetes phayrei Jentink's flying squirrel Hylopetes platyurus Sipora flying squirrel Hylopetes sipora Red-cheeked flying squirrel Hylopetes spadiceus Sumatran flying squirrel Hylopetes winstoni.
Javanese flying squirrel Iomys horsfieldi Mentawi flying squirrel Iomys sipora. Lesser pygmy flying squirrel Petaurillus emiliae Hose's pygmy flying squirrel Petaurillus hosei Selangor pygmy flying squirrel Petaurillus kinlochii. Basilan flying squirrel Petinomys crinitus Whiskered flying squirrel Petinomys genibarbis Hagen's flying squirrel Petinomys hageni Siberut flying squirrel Petinomys lugens Arrow flying squirrel Petinomys sagitta Temminck's flying squirrel Petinomys setosus Vordermann's flying squirrel Petinomys vordermanni Travancore flying squirrel Petinomys fuscocapillus.
Groove-toothed flying squirrel Aeretes melanopterus.
Black flying squirrel Aeromys tephromelas Thomas's flying squirrel Aeromys thomasi. Hairy-footed flying squirrel Belomys pearsonii. Namdapha flying squirrel Biswamoyopterus biswasi Laotian giant flying squirrel Biswamoyopterus laoensis. Woolly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus. Red and white giant flying squirrel Petaurista alborufus Spotted giant flying squirrel Petaurista elegans Hodgson's giant flying squirrel Petaurista magnificus Bhutan giant flying squirrel Petaurista nobilis Indian giant flying squirrel Petaurista philippensis Chinese giant flying squirrel Petaurista xanthotis Japanese giant flying squirrel Petaurista leucogenys Red giant flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista.
Siberian flying squirrel Pteromys volans Japanese dwarf flying squirrel Pteromys momonga. Smoky flying squirrel Pteromyscus pulverulentus. Complex-toothed flying squirrel Trogopterus xanthipes. Extant species of family Sciuridae subfamily Xerinae. Barbary ground squirrel Atlantoxerus getulus. Striped ground squirrel Xerus erythropus Subgenus Geosciurus: Unstriped ground squirrel Xerus rutilus.
Long-clawed ground squirrel Spermophilopsis leptodactylus. Ebian's palm squirrel Epixerus ebii Baifran palm squirrel Epixerus wilsoni. Thomas's rope squirrel Funisciurus anerythrus Lunda rope squirrel Funisciurus bayonii Carruther's mountain squirrel Funisciurus carruthersi Funisciurus congicus Lady Burton's rope squirrel Funisciurus isabella Ribboned rope squirrel Funisciurus lemniscatus Red-cheeked rope squirrel Funisciurus leucogenys Funisciurus pyrrhopus Kintampo rope squirrel Funisciurus substriatus.
Gambian sun squirrel Heliosciurus gambianus Mutable sun squirrel Heliosciurus mutabilis Red-legged sun squirrel Heliosciurus rufobrachium Ruwenzori sun squirrel Heliosciurus ruwenzorii Zanj sun squirrel Heliosciurus undulatus. African pygmy squirrel Myosciurus pumilio. Smith's bush squirrel Paraxerus cepapi African red bush squirrel Paraxerus luciferus Alexander's bush squirrel Paraxerus alexandri Boehm's bush squirrel Paraxerus boehmi Cooper's mountain squirrel Paraxerus cooperi Fernando Po squirrel Paraxerus poensis Huet's bush squirrel Paraxerus ochraceus Red bush squirrel Paraxerus palliatus Striped bush squirrel Paraxerus flavovittis Swynnerton's bush squirrel Paraxerus vexillarius Vincent's bush squirrel Paraxerus vincenti.
Slender-tailed squirrel Protoxerus aubinnii Forest giant squirrel Protoxerus stangeri. Large tribe listed separately. Living species of tribe Marmotini ground squirrels. Harris's antelope squirrel A. Golden-mantled ground squirrel C. Gunnison's prairie dog C. Mexican ground squirrel I. Tropical ground squirrel N. Baja California rock squirrel O. Franklin's ground squirrel P. Alashan ground squirrel S. Uinta ground squirrel U. Mohave ground squirrel X.
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Various members of the family Sciuridae Callosciurus prevostii. Sciuridae Fischer de Waldheim , Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sciuridae. Wikispecies has information related to Sciuridae. Look up squirrel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Ratufa Cream-coloured giant squirrel Ratufa affinis Black giant squirrel Ratufa bicolor Indian giant squirrel Ratufa indica Grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macroura.