Habitat
Squirrels generally live in the woods, specifically in nut trees. They build their nests out of leaves and sticks in the fork of a tree branch. They store multiple food caches in trees, which are called a midden. Males and females share a nest except for when females are pregnant or lactating as they become quite aggressive. In areas where forests have been reduced, squirrels have become adept at living in city parks and urban areas as long as there are nut trees to support them.
Ecological Role
Squirrels play an important role in the ecology as they help in seed dispersal as they eat nuts and seeds and spread them on the ground. Also, as they eat truffles, they help to spread the spores. Sometimes they will bury nuts in the ground and forget where they put them and inadvertently plant a tree. On the other hand though, many times squirrels are considered invasive rodents as they can get into homes and cause some destruction in insulation, walls and wiring.
**Interesting fact, there are red, black and albino squirrels.
Eastern Gray Squirrel
Species
Sciurus Carolinensis
​
The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a medium sized squirrel that resides in North America and Canada. These squirrels are mostly brown and gray in color with splashes of white on the stomach and tail, which is very bushy and used for balance as they run along tree branches. Males and females are generally the same size and color and can live up to 20 years in age. Adult squirrels weigh between 3/4 to 1 1/2 pounds and can grow up to 20" long. Squirrels have sharp claws which enable them to climb trees which is where they keep their nests and store their food. They usually have a litter twice a year, once in early spring and again in late summer.
Lifestyle and Behavior
Squirrels live mostly on nuts, berries, fungi, buds, leaves and even tree bark. They will use their paws to hold their food as they eat. In urban areas, they have gotten quite adept at eating out of bird-feeders as this one here, using their hind claws to hold on to free their hands for eating. They are quite smart and can figure out how to get into 'squirrel proof' feeders if they know there is food there.
