Red Squirrel - Photos by Bruce Dayton - Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

ORDER: Rodentia (Rodents)
FAMILY: Sciuridae (Squirrels, Chipmunks, Marmots, Prairie Dogs)
SPECIES: Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
The Red Squirrel is a species of tree squirrels, they are a small and aggressive squirrel that is larger than a Eastern Chipmunk, but smaller than a Eastern Gray Squirrel. - Red Squirrels are tree-dwelling omnivorous rodents. - This animal does not hibernate in winter. - Red Squirrel are crepuscular, most active in the morning and evening when it is between daylight and dark. -
SIZE	The Red Squirrel is a small rodent weighing about 8-11 ounces with a head and body length of 8 to 10 inches and a tail that is 5 to 7 inches in length.
DESCRIPTION	They have a rusty to olive-red coat on the upper parts of it's body with a creamy-white belly and underparts. They have black eyes with a prominent white eye-ring and a small red bushy tail. Sexual Dimorphism: None.
NESTING	Nests are most commonly constructed of grass in the branches of spruce trees. The normal litter is 3 or 4 young. They usually have 1 or 2 litters a year.
BEHAVIOR	Red Squirrels are very vocal, they can bark continuously, especially to stake out a territory or protect their stored food supply. A red squirrel seems to almost never walk, but rather runs or climbs trees in quick and sudden bursts of energy, sometimes chattering and scolding loudly along the way.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE	They range from Alaska, through much of Canada, extending into the Rocky Mountain states and eastern states south to Virginia and west to Illinois.
EURASIAN	The North American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is similar to the Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). The Eurasian red squirrel is common throughout the forests of Europe and Asia. Their populations are declining in Great Britain, due to the introduction of the Eastern Gray Squirrel imported from North America.
PREDATORS	The main predators of red squirrels are hawks, owls, and marten. In areas of human population, the domestic housecat is one of their predators.
MIDDENS	Red Squirrels have ground burrows, also known as middens, for food storage. They may have several bushels of spruce cones stored in a number of middens in different locations.
HABITAT	It occupies a wide variety of forest habitat, occurring in the hardwood forests of eastern North America and the coniferous forests of the west and north.
DIET	They eat pine cones, seeds, berries, buds, fungi, and occasionally insects and birds' eggs.

INTERESTING FACTS

Umbrella Species

Picture a species as an umbrella with several species standing underneath it. If you protect the the umbrella species, then the other species under its umbrella will also be protected.

Because of the multitude of interconnections (both large and miniscule) in an ecosystem, you may need to more than just protect the umbrella species.

Many people believe it is better all around to preserve habitat rather than a specific species, because if you preserve the habitat, you are in fact preserving the species.

Conserving sufficiently large areas to protect umbrella species can often time concurrently protect other animals residing within that entire territory.

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The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit.


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Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Sapsucker Woods Bird Sanctuary Tompkins County, New York


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Rogers Environmental Education Center Sherburne, NY


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