Where are they found?
Eastern gray squirrels are naturally found in the United States east of the Mississippi River and in Canada. Some areas in the western U.S. have been introduced to them, as have parts of Europe, where they compete with the native red squirrels there.
What do they eat?
Eastern gray squirrels eat mostly plant foods such as nuts, berries, seeds, and grains. However, they can also eat insects, bird eggs, and frogs, which makes them omnivores. They do not hibernate in the winter, so they store these foods during the summer and fall and use memory and smell to find them again in the winter.
How do they act?
Eastern gray squirrels are generally diurnal, meaning that they are mostly active during the day. They live in tree dens or leaf nests, and they may be territorial and keep an area of land with other squirrels related to them. Males compete to mate with female squirrels, and they are polyandrous, meaning one female may mate with multiple males.
Are they endangered?
Eastern gray squirrels are listed as “Least Concern” on the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
Mammal Moment
Though they are a small rodent often subject to predation, they can live up to 13 years in the wild! In captivity, they can live to be around 20!
Keep an eye out for squirrels on the road!
Sources: http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Sciurus_carolinensis/ http://www.psu.edu/dept/nkbiology/naturetrail/speciespages/graysquirrel.htm