Red Squirrel

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

ID

• About half the size of a gray squirrel
• Winter coloring: broad rusty-red band runs up the back from between the ears to the tip of the tail, olive-gray sides, black hairs sprinkled throughout. Prominent reddish-black tufts on the ears. Grayish-white underparts.
• Summer coloring: Olive coloring, red band absent, ear tufts absent (Whitaker)

Distribution

Reproduction

• The number of litters per year depends on the severity of the winter in the Red Squirrel’s territory. In Vermont, it is most likely that only one litter would be produced.
• When a female enters estrus, males will gather in her territory and compete to mate with her. She may mate with more than one male in the one day that she is estrous.
• Gestation is about 35 days with litters usually numbering 3-7 young.
• Reproduction starts in the second year when the squirrels are 10-12 months old (Whitaker)

Behavior

• Diurnal, most active at dawn and dusk
• Spend a lot of time on the ground, but will go into trees when threatened.
• Sometimes nest in trees. In high snow, they will burrow underneath.
• Active through the winter, but will stay holed up during periods of inclement weather (Whitaker)

Food Habits

• Acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts (year-round staples). Conifer buds and bark, berries, maple and elm buds, conifer seeds, sumac fruits, many species of fungi (including ones such as the amanita mushroom, which is deadly to other mammals), eggs, baby birds, and various insects (Whitaker).

Size/Life Cycle

• Average measurements: 310 mm (total length), 120 mm (tail), 46 mm (hind foot), 140-220 g (total weight) (Whitaker)

Predators

• Marten, fisher, bobcat, large hawks and owls, and coyotes (Whitaker)

Habitat

• Coniferous forest, hardwood forest, mixed stand. Pretty much anywhere that food is available. (Whitaker)