Mammal Web Page


Red Squirrel
Kingdom	Animalia
Phlum	Chordata
Class	Mammalia
Order	Rodentia
Suborder	Sciurognatni
Family	Scuridae
Genus	Tamiasciurus
Species	Tamiasciurus hudsionicus

Description

Head and body length = 165-230mm. Tail length = 90-160mm. Fur color is quite variable and even varies between winter and summer. The dorsal coat is usually brownish or olive -red in colors. During the summer, a black stripe can be seen on it's side. The belly is white, or cream colors. The tail is often edged with white. There is a white band encircling the large, black eye.

Habitat

The red squirrel's habitat is coniferous trees, deciduous trees and mixed forests. They live in nests of twigs, bark, and leaves built in trees or in tree hollows. Nest have been as high as 65 feet (20mm) above ground. The nest is where the red squirrel feeds, sleeps, gives birth, raises young, and stay warm in the winter. The red squirrel does not hibernate.

Range

In the tropics, there are more kinds of red squirrels than else where. Red squirrels live in Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Africa, Eurasia, South America, Alaska, and continuously across Canada to the Northeast U.S., South to the Appalachian states and in the west to Northern Rocky Mountains.

Food

Red Squirrels consume seeds, fruit, nuts, bark, buds, shed antlers, reptiles, insects, tree sap, pine cones, fungi (that would poison humans), eggs, young birds, mice, and young rabbits. Red Squirrels store many seeds and nuts underground, in piles, or under rocks for the winter. Foxes, and bobcats are some of the animals that eat the Red Squirrel.

Life Cycle

There are usually 4,or 5 born in a liter. The female squirrel will nurse the babies for their first four, or five weeks. During this time, the babies will not leave the nest and are completely dependent on their mother for milk. At six weeks, the baby squirrels will be removed from the nest, and the mother will teach them how to survive without her. The average life span for the squirrel is 7 years old.

Four interesting Facts

1. The population numbers has been reduced so now red squirrels are endangered.

2. Squirrels are not picky eaters, they eat just about anything.

3. The squirrel has been in North America for over 35 million years.

4. The genus, Tamiasciurus, means "the steward who sits in the shadow of it's tail.

Human Impact

Positive : Red Squirrels are very beneficial because their dispersal of seeds and hypogenous fungi. About 1-3 million red squirrels are harvested annually for their fur in Canada, bringing in about $I,000,000. They are a major prey item for other economically important species such as martens, bobcats, and lynx.

Negative : Red Squirrels can severely damage young trees in plantations, and crops in storage. They may also gnaw on many house hold items. They may be responsible for some kinds of diseases, that effect humans, but there is no documentation for this.