One of the 13 squirrels on WAnimals
Mammals · Rodentia · Sciuridae
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The eastern grey squirrel comes originally from eastern North America, where it occupies mature woodland of oak, hickory and beech. Introduced into Great Britain and Ireland in the late nineteenth century, and later into Italy and South Africa, it has become one of the most problematic invasive species in Europe. It stores thousands of nuts every autumn in individual caches scattered across its territory and recovers them later by combining smell with a remarkable spatial memory. It is diurnal, highly adaptable and abundant in urban parks.
Weight
400 g – 700 g
Size
23 cm – 30 cm
Lifespan
12 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- inteligenciaIt will pretend to bury food in a false cache if it senses another squirrel watching, a piece of deception known as deceptive caching.
- In Great Britain it has almost entirely displaced the Eurasian red squirrel: as well as competing for food it carries a parapoxvirus that does not affect it but that is lethal to the native species.
- It practises deceptive caching: if it notices another squirrel watching, it digs a hole and pretends to deposit the nut, keeping it in its mouth to hide somewhere else.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Mature deciduous woodland, parks and urban gardens of North America and western Europe
- Sexual maturity
- 11.3 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 44 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 4
Sources consulted: https://www.iucnredlist.org/ | https://animaldiversity.org/ | https://es.wikipedia.org/
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 46 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eastern Gray Squirrel — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Woodchuck
Marmota monax
Southern Flying Squirrel
Glaucomys volans
Eastern Chipmunk
Tamias striatus
Least ConcernEurasian Red Squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger
Red-bellied Squirrel
Sciurus aureogaster
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