![]() ![]() They are easily capable of negotiating the trees, vines and shrubs. They are quite active animals, and work throughout the year, are even capable of feeding themselves at any season, be it snow storms, or the dry summer. They are the busiest at afternoon and dawn. These squirrels are more active during the day than by the night. They are one of those few mammalian species, which descend o the tree with their head first. They have a good sense of smell, since they can smell these caches from a distance of few centimeters. They have a very spatial memory, since they need to decide the location of these caches, and also make landmarks to retrieve them. The squirrels can make several thousand caches per season. They are a scatter-hoarder like other rodents, since they hoard huge quantities of food for future. They are alert, aggressive and inquisitive rodents, which are very fast at moving and jumping through the tree tops. The Eastern gray squirrels are very similar in behavior to the other rodents. They may also take permanent shelter in a tree den. Squirrels also build their nest in the exterior walls of house. This nest is built in the fork of the trees. The eastern gray squirrels build a nest, which is called the drey. Picture 2 – Eastern Gray Squirrel Habitat Image The squirrels spend their maximum time in the trees, and moves about in the tress with great agility. This squirrel has been introduced in Great Britain and South Africa. They may be found in the farmlands of rural areas. These squirrels are also found in parks and backyards of the houses in the urban setting. The den also requires a cover, which these squirrels generally build it afterwards. The dens of the squirrels are lined with mosses, dried plants and thistledown, which help in the insulation of the den and reduces heat loss. They also use the abandoned nests of other birds for shelter. Eastern Gray Squirrels construct their dens on the bare branches and hollow branches of trees. These forests are the habitat of these squirrels since they contain dense vegetation which is a source of food for these squirrels. Since they are predominantly nut-eating species, they are found in the vast tracts of Oak and Hickory forests in North America. It inhabits large areas of the dense woodlands and the ecosystem that spreads across 40 acres of land. The Eastern Gray Squirrel is the largest of all tree squirrels that is found in eastern Canada. It is like a rudder that helps the squirrel in its long jumps, a warm winter covering and finally also acting as a distraction to the predators. This tail has some very important functions to perform. The most attractive feature of the squirrel is its large and bushy tail. The gray color of their fur is a grizzled salt and pepper combination, and is often banded by black and gray guard hairs, which are tinged white. The color of their fur may change with seasons. They have round footprints, which are just about an inch long, but their hind prints are 2.5 inches long. The grayish fur is tawnier in summer, with whiter tail, whereas, in winter, their furs are mostly behind their ears. An adult eastern gray squirrel approximately weighs 400 to 600 grams. The body of the squirrel is about 25 to 30 cm in length, while its tail is 22 to 25 cm long. It may also have a reddish color in some cases. ![]() Its tail is used to maintain balance while it is dashing between the branches. The black and the gray species are the most commonly found squirrels. Its underside is white in color, and the tail is quite bushy. The eastern gray squirrel has gray furs and is predominantly found in black and gray color. Picture 1 – Eastern Gray Squirrel Picture Therefore the meaning of this name is that the squirrel is sitting in the shadow of its tail. This word is derived from the Greek words skia that means shadow, and oura, that means tail. ![]() Eastern gray squirrels belong to the genus Sciurus. ![]()
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