Scientific Name:Sciurus carolinensis

Common Name: Eastern Grey Squirrel

Basic Information about the Species:
The squirrel is a small or medium-sized rodent. They have a large bushy tail. Over the winter they store nuts,acorns,and berries. Members that are related to squirrel are chipmunks,prairie dogs, and woodchucks.


InformationAs the name suggests, the eastern gray squirrel's fur is predominantly gray but it can have a reddish tinge. Its belly is white and it has a large bushy tail. Particularly in urban situations where the risk of predation is reduced, both white- and black-colored squirrels are quite often found. The melanistic form, which is almost entirely black, is predominant in certain populations and in certain geographic areas, such as in large parts of southeastern Canada. There are also genetic variations within these, including gray squirrels with black tails and black colored gray squirrels with white tails.Like many members of the family Sciuridae, the eastern gray squirrel is a scatter-hoarder; it hoards food in numerous small caches for later recovery. Some caches are quite temporary, especially those made near the site of a sudden abundance of food which can be retrieved within hours or days for re-burial in a more secure site. Others are more permanent and are not retrieved until months later. It has been estimated that each squirrel makes several thousand caches each season. The squirrels have very accurate spatial memory for the locations of these caches, and use distant and nearby landmarks to retrieve them. Smell is used once the squirrel is within a few centimeters of the cache. Gray squirrels build a type of nest, known as a drey, in the forks of trees. The drey consists mainly of dry leaves and twigs. They may also build a nest in the attic or in the exterior walls of a house, often to the consternation of the homeowner. They will raid bird feeders for millet and sunflower seeds but they are reported to dislike the slight capsaicin content of safflower seeds. So-called anti-squirrel birdseed preparations are available; the seeds are coated with chili pepper. The birds are unaffected because they cannot taste the capsaicin. Mixing hot pepper flakes into regular birdseed works well as a squirrel deterrent. Gray squirrels are notorious for digging bulbs from gardens. Their reputation for these habits has led some to call them "tree rats" or "fuzzy-tailed rats". Eastern gray squirrels have a high tolerance for humans and inhabit residential neighborhoods and urban parks. Wild squirrels may even be enticed to accept food from people. Predators include humans, hawks, mustelids, skunks, raccoons, domestic and feral cats, snakes and owls. On occasion, a squirrel may lose part of its tail while escaping a predator. As in most other mammals, communication among gray squirrels involves both vocalizations and posturing. The eastern gray squirrel has a quite varied repertoire of vocalizations, including a squeak similar to that of a mouse, but more low pitched, a chatter, and a raspy "mehr mehr mehr". Other methods of communication include tail-flicking.

The eastern gray squirrel consumes a variety of foods, including insects, nestling birds, various seeds and acorns, walnuts, and other nuts. This squirrel is from the Eastern part of states. It eats a lot of food and stores it in their mouths.