Sciurus carolinensis
| Eastern Gray Squirrel
(Sciurus carolinensis) | |
|---|---|
| Range | |
 | |
| Taxonomic classification | |
| Order: | Rodentia |
| Suborder: | Sciuromorpha |
| Family: | Sciuridae |
| Subfamily: | Sciurinae |
| Tribe: | Sciurini |
| Genus: | Sciurus |
| Subgenus: | Neosciurus |
| Binomial details | |
| Sciurus carolinensis J. F. Gmelin, 1788 | |
| Other resources | |
| Full taxonomic details at MDD | |
The Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is a medium-sized tree squirrel that is commonly found in mature continuous woodlands with a dense understory (Koprowski, 1994).
Description
From Koprowski (1994): "Sciurus carolinensis is a medium-sized tree squirrel with no sexual dimorphism in size or coloration... The dorsum is grizzled dark to pale gray and may be washed with cinnamon on hips, feet, and head. Ears are buff to gray to white in the north; tail is white to pale gray. Underparts are white to gray to buff to cinnamon (Flyger and Gates, 1982)... During northern winters, ears are heavily furred with pale dorsal hair (Flyger and Gates, 1982) and the foot sole becomes densely haired (Pocock, 1923)."
Museum specimens
External measurements
Length measurements are in millimeters (mm) and weight measurements are in grams (g), unless stated otherwise. If available, the sample size (n=) is provided. If a range is not provided and n= is not given, then the listed measurement represents an average.
| Part of range | Reference | Total length | Tail length | Hindfoot length | Ear length | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama (Mobile Co.) | Best & Dusi (2014) | 430 (380–477) (n=32) | 195 (140–223) (n=32) | 62 (57–66) (n=32) | 31 (27–33) (n=32) | 300–710 (n=32) |
| Alabama (outside Mobile Co.) | Best & Dusi (2014) | females: 401–474 (n=25); males: 413–476 (n=25) | females: 188–230 (n=25); males: 186–225 (n=25) | females: 57–66 (n=25); males: 55–69 (n=25) | females: 25–34 (n=25); males: 24–34 (n=25) | |
| California | Jameson & Peeters (2004) | 445–500 | 184–231 | 61–70 | 28–35 | 500–625 |
| Carolinas, Virginia, Maryland | Webster et al. (1985) | 420–550 | 256–485 | |||
| Minnesota | Hazard (1982) | 450–503 | 187–225 | 58–68 | 22–39 | 476–720 |
| North Dakota | Seabloom et al. (2020) | 479 | 211 | 65 | 31 | 600 |
| Texas | Schmidly & Bradley (2016) | 460 | 210 | 61 | 321–590 | |
| Virginia | Linzey (1998) | 400–550 (head and body) | 170–255 | 360–650 |
Color variation
From Koprowski (1994): "'Melanism is common in the north (Innes and Lavigne, 1979) and albinism is rare, although white animals are found in Olney, Illinois, and Marionville, Missouri."
For more information on color morphs in this species, check out the SquirrelMapper Project.
Skull
Similar species
The only naturally sympatric congener is the Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger).
Comparison with Sciurus niger
From Koprowski (1994): "The only naturally sympatric congener, S. niger, is > 20% larger in body size, lacks a peg-like P3, has a sphenopalatine foramen larger than the optic foramen, and the distance between the upper cheek teeth progressively increases from P4 to M3 (McGrath, 1987). Guard hairs of S. carolinensis are tipped with white, not tawny, brown, or orange; tail guard hairs of S. niger from the east may be white-tipped but body size differences remain (Flyger and Gates, 1982)."
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Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) observed by Ben Zerante in Chicago, Illinois. -
Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)
Comparison with Sciurus griseus
The Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) is not sympatric with Sciurus carolinensis. However, Koprowski (1994) provides the following comparison: "In comparison with S. griseus, S. carolinensis is smaller (total length < 500 mm), sphenopalatine foramen < optic foramen, baculum lacks a distal keel and ventrally located tuberosity, and the medial surface of the jugal is not visible from above (Hall, 1981; McGrath, 1987)."
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Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) observed by Ben Zerante in Chicago, Illinois. -
Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus) observed by nutsaboutkitties in San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, California.
References
Best TL, Dusi JL. 2014. Mammals of Alabama (Vol. 4). Tuscaloosa (AL, USA): University Alabama Press.
Hazard EB. 1982. The mammals of Minnesota. Minneapolis (MN, USA): University of Minnesota Press.
Jameson EW, Peeters HJ. 2004. Mammals of California (No. 66). Berkeley (CA, USA): University of California Press.
Koprowski JL. 1994. Sciurus carolinensis. Mammalian species (480):1-9. https://doi.org/10.2307/3504224
Linzey DW. 1998. The mammals of Virginia. McDonald & Woodward Publishing.
Seabloom R, Hoganson JW, Jensen WF. 2020. The mammals of North Dakota. Fargo (ND, USA): North Dakota State University Press.
Schmidly DJ, Bradley RD. 2016. The mammals of Texas. Austin (TX, USA): University of Texas Press.
Webster WD, Parnell JF, Biggs WC. 1985. Mammals of the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. Chapel Hill (NC, USA): University of North Carolina Press.