Sciurus niger (Linnaeus); Fox Squirrel

Don Linzey & Christy Brecht
Wytheville Community College
Wytheville, Virginia 24382

Species Description

Phylogeny

Geographic distribution

Habitat

Natural History

Conservation Biology

Links to Other Sites

Acknowledgements

References

© Copyright Roger Barbour. All rights reserved.
Sciurus niger -- Fox Squirrel

Last updated: 26 November, 2005

Species Description

Adult total length: 19 - 28 in. (475 - 700 mm)
Tail: 10 - 15 in. (250 - 390 mm)
Hind foot: 2 - 3 1/4 in. (51 - 82 mm)
Weight: 1 1/4 - 3 1/4 lbs. (.6 - 1.5 kg)
Physical Characteristics: The fox squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in the park. Most individuals are rusty brown with a blackish head and a white nose. The underparts and tail are normally orange or yellow.


left lateral view of skull and mandible	dorsal view of skull	ventral view of skull

Index
Phylogeny

Taxonomic Category	Scientific Name	Common Name
Phylum	Chordata	Chordates
Class	Mammalia	Mammals
Order	Rodentia	Mice, rats, hamsters, etc.
Family	Sciuridae	Woodchucks, chipmunks, and squirrels

Index
Geographic distribution

The fox squirrel inhabits the upland forests of eastern North America from southwestern New York and southern Pennsylvania to the Gulf Coast, west through most of Texas and Oklahoma, eastern Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, and North Dakota, and north into Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

Range Maps

North America Great Smokies
Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Fox squirrels have been recorded from elevations up to 4,000 feet, fox squirrels are not commonly seen in the park. No specimens were taken by the Komareks. In 1936, a park ranger's report noted that the fox squirrel "occurs but is uncommon" in the vicinity of Walnut Bottom. The park's mammal collection contains one skull of a specimen taken along the Foothills Parkway in 1991. The only museum specimen from the park area in the collection was taken at Wear Cove (Sevier County), just outside the park boundary.
- Sevier Co.: Route 73 between park headquarters and Fighting Creek Gap; Mill Creek (2,000 - 2,400 feet).
- Haywood Co.: Walnut Bottom.
- Swain Co.: Bradley Fork (2,500 feet); between Eagle and Hazel Creeks (near Proctor); near Shuckstack Tower (4,000 feet).

Index
Habitat

Fox squirrels prefer higher ground and larger trees than gray squirrels. Open, mature stands of pine or mixed stands of pine, oak, and sweetgum form ideal habitat. Areas with a minimum of underbrush are preferred. Fox squirrels avoid the cutover areas and young growth preferred by gray squirrels.

Index
Natural History

Reproduction
Fox squirrels begin their mating activities about the time of the winter solstice and continue through January and February. Following a 40-day gestation period, young are born during February and March. Another lesser mating period occurs during June and July with resulting births occurring between late July and mid-September. Occasionally births occur at other times of the year. The mother-to-be selects a secure and dry tree den, which she lines with leaves and bark fibers. Here she gives birth to one to six blind and hairless young, usually two or four. She raises the young by herself and drives off all other squirrels that approach her nest. Within a few days hair begins to appear on the young and after five weeks their eyes open. At eight or nine weeks they are weaned and shortly thereafter are abandoned by their mother.

Longevity
In the wild, marked fox squirrels have lived to an age of 12.6 years (Koprowski et al., 1988).
Terrestrial Ecology
Fox squirrels are not as agile in trees as are gray squirrels, but they are fast and graceful when running on the ground. They come to the ground mainly to find food. Foraging for food takes place primarily in early morning and late afternoon. Although fox squirrels are active during all seasons, they may remain in their nests for several days at a time during periods of severe weather. Nests may be outside or in a tree cavity. During the winter, several squirrels may occupy a single den cavity.
Food consists of acorns, nuts, seeds, buds, twigs, bark, berries, fruits, corn, mushrooms, and insects.
Much food is hoarded for use at a later date. Stupka (1940 ) reported observing a fox squirrel eating mulberries along Bradley Fork on July 6.
Predators and Defense
Fox squirrels, especially nestlings, may occasionally be taken by predatory birds, mammals, and some snakes (Linzey, 1998).
Parasites
None recorded from the park.

Index
Conservation Biology

Special Protection Status
- Rangewide: The eastern fox squirrel has been designated as a species of "state"concern" in North Carolina. The fox squirrel is a game species throughout much of its range and is protected by state game regulations. One form, the Delmarva fox squirrel (S.n. cinereus), is found on the eastern shore of Maryland and on Assateague Island in Virginia. It is federally protected as an endangered species.
- In Park: All plants and animals are protected within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Collection requires a permit which is usually granted only for research or educational purposes.

Index
Links to Other Sites

University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology
eNature

Index
Acknowledgements

Text

Dr. Donald W. Linzey, Wytheville Community College - wclinzd@wcc.vccs.edu
Christy Brecht, Wytheville Community College - wcbrecc@wcc.vccs.edu
Photographs
- Roger Barbour
Map development
- Richard Schulz, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - richard_schulz@nps.gov
Web page design & coding
- Denise Lim, University of Georgia, Athens
- John Pickering, University of Georgia, Athens

Index
References

Fleetwood, R. J. 1934 - 35. Journal of Raymond J. Fleetwood, wildlife technician, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, for the period May 27, 1934 - June 27, 1935. 499 pp. (Typewritten).
Flyger, V. 1999. Eastern fox squirrel. Pages 456 - 458. In: D.E. Wilson, and S. Ruff (eds.). The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
Koprowski, J. L. 1994. Sciurus niger. Mammalian Species No. 479: 1 - 9. American Society of Mammalogists.
Koprowski, J. L., J. L. Roseberry, and W. D. Klimstra. 1988. Longevity records for the fox squirrel. Journal of Mammalogy 69(2): 383-384.
Linzey, D. W. 1995a. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.
Linzey, D. W. 1995b. Mammals of Great Smoky Mountains National Park-1995 Update. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 111(1):1-81.
Linzey, D. W. 1998. The Mammals of Virginia. Blacksburg, Virginia: The McDonald & Woodward Publishing Company, Inc.
Stupka, A. 1935 - 63. Nature Journal, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 28 vols. (years) each with index. (Typewritten copy in files of Great Smoky Mountains National Park library).

Last modified: 10 April, 2002

North America	Great Smokies