|
The Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) is a tree squirrel found along the western coast of the United States and Canada. Tree Squirrels are very different from Ground Squirrels, to the extent that they may warrant a separate species designation based on behavior. Unlike Ground Squirrels, Tree Squirrels have not been proved to transmit diseases to humans. They are also picky eaters who are strictly vegetarian, unlike Ground Squirrels that often scavenge and eat carrion. Tree squirrels also generally spend little time on the ground, preferring the heights of the forest canopy. Ground Squirrels spend little time in trees, preferring the ground. Image File history File links Sciurus_griseus_000. ...
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ...
Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ...
Least Concern (LC) is an IUCN category assigned to species or lower taxa which do not qualify for any other category. ...
For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ...
Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera Subregnum Eumetazoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Radiata (unranked) Ctenophora Cnidaria Bilateria (unranked) Acoelomorpha Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata Hemichordata Echinodermata Chaetognatha Xenoturbellida Superphylum Ecdysozoa Kinorhyncha Loricifera Priapulida Nematoda Nematomorpha Onychophora Tardigrada Arthropoda Superphylum Platyzoa Platyhelminthes Gastrotricha Rotifera Acanthocephala Gnathostomulida Micrognathozoa Cycliophora Superphylum Lophotrochozoa Sipuncula Nemertea Phoronida Ectoprocta Bryozoa...
{{{subdivision_ranks}}} See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ...
Subclasses Allotheria* Order Multituberculata (extinct) Order Volaticotheria (extinct) Order Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Order Triconodonta (extinct) Prototheria Order Monotremata Theria Infraclass Marsupialia Infraclass Eutheria The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals characterized by the production of milk in females for the nourishment of young, from mammary glands present on most species...
Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents. ...
Genera Many: see text. ...
Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...
In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ...
George Ord (1781 - January 24, 1866) was an American ornithologist. ...
1818 (MDCCCXVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
At various times and places, this species has also been known as the silver-gray squirrel, the California gray squirrel, the Oregon gray squirrel, the Columbian gray squirrel, the banner-tail, and simply as the gray squirrel. There are three geographical subspecies: Sciurus griseus griseus (central Washington to the western Sierra Nevada in central California); S. g. nigripes (from south of San Francisco Bay to San Luis Obispo County, California; and S. g. anthonyi, which ranges from San Luis Obispo to south-central California). Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ...
This article deals with the U.S. state. ...
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range that is almost entirely in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of California. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ...
San Luis Obispo County is a county located on the central Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the Bay Area. ...
San Luis Obispo, San Luis, or SLO (Spanish for ) is a city in California. ...
The Western Gray Squirrel was first described by George Ord in 1818 based on notes taken by Lewis and Clark at The Dalles in Wasco County, Oregon. George Ord (1781 - January 24, 1866) was an American ornithologist. ...
The Lewis and Clark expedition (1804-1806) was the first American overland expedition to the Pacific coast and back. ...
Disamb: For the German rock group The Dalles, see The Dalles (band) The Dalles is a city located in Wasco County, Oregon. ...
Wasco County is a county located in the state of Oregon. ...
Official language(s) None Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area Ranked 9th - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²) - Width 260 miles (420 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 2. ...
Compared with the Eastern Gray Squirrel S. carolinensis or the "Eastern Fox Squirrel" (which have been introduced into its range), these squirrels are shy, and will generally run up a tree and give a hoarse barking call when disturbed. Weights vary from about 400 g to nearly 1 kg, and length (including tail) from 45 to 60 cm. It is the largest native tree squirrel in the western coastal United States. Western Gray Squirrels exhibit a form of coloration known as counter shading. The dorsal fur is a silver gunmetal gray, with pure white on the underside; there may be black flecks in the tail. Ears are large but without tufts. The ears turn reddish-brown at the back in the winter. The tail is long and typically very bushy. Tree squirrels undergo a complete head-to-tail molt in the spring and a rump-to-head mold in the fall. Tail hair is replaced only in the spring. Also, nesting mothers will use their tail hair to line birthing nests. Binomial name Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788 The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a tree squirrel that is native to the eastern to midwestern United States and the eastern provinces of Canada. ...
In the physical sciences, weight is a measurement of the gravitational force acting on an object. ...
Western Gray Squirrels mate over an extended period ranging from December through June. Young are born after approximate 44 day gestation period. Juveniles emerge from nests between March and mid-August. Litter sizes range from 1 to 5. Kits remain in the nest for a longer period that other squirrels, and are relatively slow in development, another detriment to the species when it is in conflict with other, more-rapidly independent squirrels. Young gray squirrels will not leave the nest until 6 months or more. They have "furled" tails which will not reach fullness until adulthood. This is a good indicator of age and maturity. Mother squirrels often have a harassed, overworked look, complete with bruised and battered nipples. Mating squirrels can be very sadistic and will bite and injure each other. Females can be quite territorial, and will chase others away and have fairly violent altercations between themselves.
Western Gray Squirrels are forest dwellers, and can be found at elevations up to at least 2000 m. Time on the ground is spent foraging, but they prefer to travel distances from tree to tree. They are strictly diurnal, and feed mainly on seeds and nuts, particularly pine seeds and acorns, though they will also take berries, fungus and other soft food. Pine nuts and acorns are considered critical foods because they are very high in oil and moderately high in carbohydrates, which helps increase the development of body fat. They feed mostly in trees and on the ground. They generally forage in the morning and late afternoon for acorns, pine nuts, new tree buds, and fruits. When on alert, they will spread their tails lavishly, creating an umbrella effect that shields them and possibly provides cover from overhead predators. They are scatter-hoarders making numerous caches of food when it is abundant, and thus contribute to the seed dispersion of their food trees. Although they show relatively good scent relocation abilities, some food caches will never be reclaimed, becoming seedlings in the spring. They do not hibernate, but become less active during the winter. Like many prey animals, they depend on auditory alerts from other squirrels or birds to determine safety. Once an alarm call is transmitted, those present will join in, and the trees become a cacophony of barking squirrels. Tree squirrels are prey for bobcats, hawks, eagles, and mountain lions. Eucalyptus Forest at Swifts Creek in East Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. ...
A diurnal animal (dÄ«-ÅrnÉ™l) is an animal that is active during the daytime and sleeps during the night. ...
This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ...
Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees (family Pinaceae, genus Pinus). ...
This article is about the seed; for other meanings of the word, especially ACORN community organization, see acorn (disambiguation). ...
Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds that act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy, other forms being fat and protein. ...
A scatter-hoarder is an animal that, in time of surplus, will store its food within a cache for times when food is less plentiful. ...
Nests can be seen in tall trees, built from sticks and leaves wrapped with long strands of grass. There are two stick nest types made by the Western Gray Squirrel, although one is not properly termed a "nest." The first is a large, round, covered shelter nest for winter use, birthing, and rearing young. The second is more properly termed a "sleeping platform," a base for seasonal or temporary use. Both types are built with sticks and twigs and are lined with leaves, moss, lichens and shredded bark. The birthing nest may be lined with tail hair. The nest may measure 43 - 91 cm (17 to 36 inches) in length and up to 46 cm (18 inches) in height. It is usually built within the top third of the tree. Young or traveling squirrels will also "sleep rough" when weather permits, balanced spread-eagled on a tree limb high above the forest floor. This attitude is also adopted for cooling purposes in hot weather (a behaviour also observed in Raccoons). Subclasses Sphagnidae Andreaeidae Tetraphidae Polytrichidae Archidiidae Buxbaumiidae Bryidae Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1-10 cm tall, occasionally more. ...
For other things named Lichen, see: Lichen (disambiguation). ...
The Western Gray Squirrel was listed as a threatened species in Washington state in 1993. Populations of the western gray squirrel have not recovered from past reductions. They are being threatened with habitat loss, road-kill mortality and disease. Habitat has been lost due to urbanization and catastrophic wild fires. Previous areas of forest have been degraded by fire suppression and overgrazing, allowing the invasion of Scot's Broom. Notoedric mange, a disease caused by mites, becomes epidemic in western gray squirrel populations and is a major source of mortality. Other species of Eastern Gray Squirrels, fox squirrels, California ground squirrels and wild turkeys are expanding and compete with the Western Gray. Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area Ranked 18 - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,824 km²) - Width 240 miles (385 km) - Length 360 miles (580 km) - % water 6. ...
Mange is an parasitic infestation of the skin of animals. ...
Listed as extirpated in some California areas, the Western Gray Squirrel in Southern California is generally found only in the mountains and surrounding foothill communities. Local rehabilitation experts recount the Eastern Fox Squirrels were released in urban regions Los Angeles in the 1970s, and these aggressive cousins drove the more reclusive Western Grays back into the mountains, where competition was not so strong. This non-native species introduction appears to be the largest threat in the Southern California area.
References The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ...
The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...
Please note that the ITIS system URL has changed (25 September 2006). ...
March 23 is the 82nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (83rd in leap years). ...
2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
External links |
Feeds |
Contact