I grew up near the mountains. Weather permitting, our family would spend weekends at various campsites along the Rocky Mountain Front. As a kid, I was accustomed to seeing and hearing squirrels scolding me from the treetops. Now living on the prairie, squirrel scoldings were a distant memory until just the other day when I saw an eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) just east of town.The eastern fox squirrel is found from the central United States to the Atlantic Ocean. The species is a relative newcomer to Montana. Following reintroduction efforts in North Dakota in 1941, fox squirrels expanded their range westward, following riparian corridors along the Missouri and Yellowstone river drainages. There are also introduced populations in several western Montana counties. They have now reached Glasgow, expanding their distribution up the Milk River.
Fox squirrels are large tree squirrels. They can weigh up to 2 pounds and measure over 2 feet in total length. They are the largest tree squirrels found in the state. There are three distinct color phases of the eastern fox squirrel, though only the gray phase exists in Montana.
Interestingly, the genus name is derived from two Greek words: “skia” meaning shadow or shade and “oura” meaning tail. Together, the words refer to the shading of a squirrel's body by its tail when in a normal sitting position. The species name niger is Latin for black, referring to the color of the original type specimen collected in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus. There are currently 10 subspecies of the eastern fox squirrel. One subspecies, the Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel, is listed as endangered.
Eastern fox squirrels inhabit a variety of open hardwood, hardwood-pine and swamp communities, depending on geographic location. In general, they prefer relatively small forest patches with open understories. Their range expansion into Montana has followed cottonwood stands along major rivers. Introduced populations have done well where there is adequate forage and cover.
Fox squirrels feed heavily on tree seeds during most of the year. Tree buds and flowers are also eaten during the winter and spring. In the eastern portion of their range, they rely heavily upon the nuts, flowers and buds of oak trees. In Montana, they forage in a variety of tree species, including oaks, elms, cottonwoods and Russian olive. They will also occasionally eat animal matter such as insects, birds and bird eggs.
Fox squirrels are classic scatter-hoarders with numerous food caches. Food is carried in the jaws, a hole is dug with the forepaws and the food is buried below the surface or covered with leaf litter. Unlike many squirrels that have a large food cache, fox squirrels generally have only one or two items per cache. Food is cached during periods of abundance and eaten during periods of scarcity. Surprisingly, fox squirrels can recover almost all of the cached food.
During the warm months, fox squirrels have diurnal activity pattern, being most active in the morning and evening. In colder months, they are most active around midday. When inactive, they can be found using a variety of nests. In summer, they build nests out of leaves and twigs known as drays. Drays are often visible scattered among the treetops in the fall after the leaves have fallen. In cooler periods, they will use hollowed cavities in trees.
Fox squirrels have two reproductive peaks during the year, one in mid-winter, and another in late spring. Following a gestation period of about 45 days, the female gives birth to three or four young. The young squirrels remain in the den for about 10 weeks before venturing out. They will remain with the mother for several months or until the next litter is born. In the wild, most young squirrels never reach maturity. Adults can live to seven years old. The oldest known lived to be 13 years old.
In many areas, fox squirrels are a valued game species and considered excellent table fare. They were a favored food of Native Americans and early European colonists. Nonetheless, fox squirrels are often considered pests because they raid birdfeeders and gardens. It is interesting to note that collectively, squirrels rank second only to songbirds in value to nature watchers and wildlife photographers.
I must admit it is enjoyable to watch a big, bold fox squirrel scampering about, searching and hoarding food. However, I am far from going nuts over them. I have heard of a few good recipes though.
Ryan Rauscher's Critter Corner column appears the first Thursday of each month in Outdoors. He can be reached at rauscher@montana.edu.
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