Giving squirrels another look
If squirrels in the area
seem particularly active this month, chasing each other
up and down trees, it is because the gray squirrel has two
breeding seasonsÑone in June and one in January. We are
all familiar with the gray squirrel (too familiar, some
would say) but Maryland has four other species: red squirrel,
flying squirrel, eastern fox squirrel, and the Delmarva
fox squirrel.
Gray
Squirrel
It's interesting that the gray squirrel has been able to
thrive as well as it has in suburbia. Unlike most species
associated with mature stands of trees, gray squirrels are
not dependent on large tracts of unbroken forest to thrive.
The gray squirrel, like a number of woodpecker species,
has been able to cope with habitat fragmentation, and in
fact, has found a niche where many of their forest-dependent
predators can't find them.
Gray squirrels are arboreal squirrels, meaning they spend
most of their time in trees. Among their adaptations are
a specially adapted back foot, which can turn 180 degrees,
allowing them to easily go down a tree head first; and a
bushy tail, which provide balances when leaping from one
branch to another.
Gray squirrels have two types of domiciles. Their preferred
domicile, especially for raising young and wintering, is
the tree cavity. Squirrels also nest in dreys, or
nests made of leaves and twigs, which can be seen built
in trees throughout our area. One squirrel may have three
dreys, all used at different times.
The lifespan for a gray squirrel is generally seven to
eight years in the wild (or your backyard). They molt twice
a year, in March and September. Gray squirrels generally
have three to four young that are dependent on their mom
for a few months, but will themselves be breeding within
a year.
Gray squirrels are most active for two hours after sunrise
and two hours before sunset. Much of their active time is
spent foraging, usually in a home range of about 5 acres.
These ranges often overlap, since gray squirrels are not
territorial.
The bulk of the gray squirrel's diet is nuts and seeds
from a number of different tree species, though squirrels
will also eat flowers, bulbs, and even frogs. Most of the
water they need comes from dew and the plants they eat.
Grey squirrels can become pests by entering attics or garages,
but they do not pose a human health riskÑthey do not generally
carry diseases that are transmitted easily to humans, and
they very rarely get rabies. Problem squirrels can easily
be trapped live and relocated.
Red
Squirrels
Red Squirrels, also known as pine squirrels, are found
in Maryland mostly in the western counties. The red squirrel
is arboreal like the gray squirrel but is about half its
size, with a body length of 7 to 9 inches and a weight of
7 to 12 ounces. Though small, the red squirrel is very active
and very vocal.
Also distinguishing red squirrels are its white eye ring
and a tail not quite as bushy as other squirrels. In summer,
red squirrels may have a black line separating the red/brown
back from the white belly.
Red squirrels generally bear three to seven young in the
early spring, though occasionally there will be a second
litter at the end of the summer.
Much of the red squirrel's diet is made up of pine seeds
and cones. Because of this, the red squirrel and other squirrels
play an important role in the distribution of seed and trees
in our state. Red squirrels also like to drink sap, often
nibbling through tree bark until sap starts flowing.
Red squirrels are active year-round (with the exception
of those in the northern most parts of Canada, which hibernate).
Like the gray squirrel, the red squirrel is diurnalÑactive
in the early morning and late afternoon. But the red squirrel
does not tolerate squirrels of any species in its territoryÑit
is highly territorial.
As with most small mammals, its predators are hawks, owls,
coyotes and foxes.
Flying
Squirrels
Good numbers of flying squirrels are in our area but, being
nocturnal, this species of squirrel is rarely seen. Flying
squirrels have gray backs and white bellies and a distinctive
black ring around the eye. Reaching a length of only 9 or
10 inches and a weight of 2 to 4 ounces, the flying squirrel
is quite small.
This species gets its name from its ability to glide long
distances, usually 20 to 30 feet, though flights of 240
feet have been recorded. The squirrel is able to "fly"
using the patagium, or membrane of skin, that connects the
ankles of the front and back legs.
The flying squirrel's reproduction, diet, and nesting are
similar to the red and gray squirrels, though flying squirrels
are less likely to build leaf dreys.
Both the northern flying squirrel and southern flying squirrel
(different subspecies) can be spotted in Maryland. If you
would like get a glimpse of a flying squirrel, check out
the Brookfield Nature Center in Wheaton, where they take
people of all ages on squirrel-watching tours in the early
evening. Check out www.mc-mncppc.org/parks/activities/nutshell
and click on Brookside Nature Center for more details.
Fox
Squirrels
Maryland has two species of fox squirrels. The eastern
fox squirrel, a large tree squirrel, can be found along
the Potomac River. The Delmarva Fox Squirrel, also a large
tree squirrel, is only found on the Eastern Shore and is
listed as an endangered species. While both species of squirrels
are considered arboreal, they spend much more time on the
ground than the gray, red, or flying squirrels.
The eastern fox squirrel is the largest of the North American
squirrels and can reach a length of 29 inches and weigh
up to 3 pounds. Eastern fox squirrels have a life expectancy
of 10 to 12 years.
The Delmarva fox squirrel is quite similar in appearance
to the eastern fox squirrel, but it is not nearly as widespread.
Its numbers have been reduced greatly by the loss and fragmentation
of its habitat, (caused by a number of factors, including
timber harvesting, conversion of forestland, and development),
and by being preyed upon by domestic catsÑa problem for
so much of our small local wildlife.
Good places in Maryland to learn more about the endangered
Delmarva fox squirrel include Eastern Neck National Wildlife
Refuge in Kent County, and the Blackwater National Wildlife
Refuge in Dorchester County.
Takoma Park resident Ned Daly is the Vice
President of Operations for the Forest Stewardship Council,
a nonprofit which certifies sustainably produced wood. He
is the former director of Forest Policy for the Consumer's
Choice Council.
