car rental

ODNR Division of Wildlife - Fishing - Trout Stockings
ODNR Division of Wildlife - A to Z Species Guide - Eastern Gray Squirrel

 Eastern Gray Squirrel

Eastern gray squirrel

Listen
 The gray squirrel was one of the most populous species of wildlife in Ohio at the time of settlement. Gray squirrels had extensive habitat in the state taking advantage of the widespread forest in Ohio. Early historical records speak of gray squirrel populations so dense that "...it took a month for an army of squirrels to pass." In fact, gray squirrels disrupted early agricultural efforts in the state to such an extent that Ohio law required each taxpayer to turn in a quota of squirrel skins along with his tax payment. But as the human population grew and more land was cleared, and elimination practices continued, gray squirrel numbers begin to dwindle. By 1885, hunting laws were enacted restricting the hunting seasons and bag limits for the gray squirrel.

Eastern gray squirrel track

Eastern Gray Squirrel Track
(Click track to enlarge)
 

 

Eastern Gray Squirrel
Sciurus carolinensis

At-a-Glance

• Mating: Polygamous

• Peak Breeding Activity: Two periods of the year--December-January and May-June

• Gestation: 44 days

• Young are Born: February to March and July to August

• Litter Size: 2 or 3

• Young Leave Parents: At 14 - 15 weeks

• Number of Litters per Year: 1 or 2

• Migration Patterns: Year-round resident

• Typical Foods: Nuts, seeds, and fruits of hickory, beech, oak, black walnut, tulip tree, sugar maple, flowering dogwood, buckeye, wild grape, pawpaw, persimmon, butternut, and black cherry, also insects

Description
As its name indicates, the gray squirrel is gray in color. These gray hairs may have orange tips that will give the animal a reddish cast. Its belly is more of a grayish-white or rusty color. Many gray squirrels have a white trim on the back of their ears and a straw-colored ring around their eyes.

Habitat and Habits
Gray squirrels prefer large expanses of wooded areas of hardwood trees. Timber management practices that create stands of middle-aged and mature trees provide the squirrel the most food and den sites.

Gray squirrels will take shelter in leaf nests they have constructed or in tree dens. Leaf nests are made of twigs, leaves, and sometimes grasses and scraps of paper and cloth. They are usually one to two feet in diameter with an interior cavity of four to five inches. The mass of leaves at the top of older trees in your backyard that is revealed in the fall when trees are bare is a squirrel nest. Gray squirrels are more social than their fox and red cousins; several gray squirrels may share a shelter nest. Cavities are lined with leaves.

Reproduction and Care of the Young
Gray squirrels running up and down and around trees is thought to be a part of the courtship ritual. The male will have no role in rearing the young. Young squirrels are reared in leaf nests, dens, and occasionally bird houses. When they are born, the young have no teeth or fur, and their eyes and ears are tightly shut. Young squirrels are slow maturing- their eyes won't open for about 36 days, it will be nearly seven weeks before they begin to sample solid foods like greens and bark, and approximately 10 weeks before they venture out of the nest onto the ground. At between 14 and 15 weeks gray squirrels are mature enough to venture out and live independently; however, it is not unusual for litters to stay together for close to nine months. Gray squirrels are capable of reproducing within months after their own birth; males reach breeding age at 9 to 11 months and females at six to eight months.