To the Editor: Writer corrects ‘squirrelly’ info

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I wish to correct some confusing information in a recent article on tree squirrels in your recent Spring
2014 Home and Garden publication. Reporting on a program presented by the Wood County Parks District, it
was stated that the two common species of squirrels in the area are the Eastern Gray and the Red. The
species referred to as the Red Squirrel in the article is no doubt actually the Fox Squirrel. The
Eastern Gray (Sciurus carolinensis) was once the common tree squirrel in this area, when the land was
mostly dense forest. As the land was cleared, the Gray was replaced from the west by the Fox (Sciurus
niger), a species that is better adapted to more open forests with little understory. The Gray has more
recently been introduced into parks and urban areas all over the world; both Gray and Fox species now
coexist in many parts of Wood County. The black (melanistic) and white (albino) squirrels seen in Wood
County are in all likelihood mutant Grays.
Fox squirrels are somewhat larger than Grays and have the orange-colored pelage that probably explains
why they are sometimes incorrectly called Reds. The American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is
also found in Wood County in forested areas, but is relatively uncommon, highly territorial, and is less
than half the size of a Fox Squirrel. The Red’s primary range is the northeastern U.S., the boreal
forests of Canada (where it is also called the Chickaree or Pine Squirrel), and the Rocky Mountains. To
make the story even more, dare I say, squirrelly, there is a Red Squirrel in Europe and northern Asia
that is a different genus and species from our American Red.
The bottom line is that the large, orange-tinged squirrels common in our area are Fox Squirrels, not Red
Squirrels!
Stephen H. Vessey
Professor Emeritus, BGSU

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