The melanistic form, which is almost entirely black, is predominant in certain populations and in certain geographic areas, such as in large parts of southeastern Canada. Particularly in urban situations where the risk of predation is reduced, both white – and black-colored individuals are quite often found. It has a usual white underside as compared to the typical brownish-orange underside of the fox squirrel. The eastern gray squirrel has predominantly gray fur, but it can have a brownish color. In the US, "eastern" is used to differentiate the species from the western gray squirrel ( Sciurus griseus).ĭescription Bounding tracks in concrete Leucistic eastern gray squirrel Alert eastern gray squirrel Melanistic eastern gray squirrel carrying a peanut In the United Kingdom and Canada, it is simply referred to as the "grey squirrel". The specific epithet, carolinensis, refers to the Carolinas, where the species was first recorded and where the animal is still extremely common. This name alludes to the squirrel sitting in the shadow of its tail. The generic name, Sciurus, is derived from two Greek words, skia 'shadow' and oura 'tail'. A brown morph of the gray squirrel in Union Square, NYC. That such a displacement might happen in Italy is of concern, as gray squirrels might spread to other parts of mainland Europe. The gray squirrel is also an invasive species in Britain it has spread across the country and has largely displaced the red squirrel. vulgaris – has been displaced in several eastern counties, though it still remains common in the south and west of the country. In Ireland, the native squirrel – also colored red – the Eurasian red squirrel S. They have been introduced into Ireland, Britain, Italy, South Africa, and Australia (where it was extirpated by 1973). Overseas, eastern gray squirrels in Europe are a concern because they have displaced some of the native squirrels there. They are considered highly invasive and a threat to both the local ecosystem and the native squirrel, the American red squirrel. Ī prolific and adaptable species, the eastern gray squirrel has also been introduced to, and thrives in, several regions of the western United States and in 1966, this squirrel was introduced onto Vancouver Island in Western Canada in the area of Metchosin, and has spread widely from there.
Breeding eastern gray squirrels are found in Nova Scotia, but whether this population was introduced or came from natural range expansion is not known.
#Natural squirrel predators plus#
The eastern gray squirrel is found from New Brunswick, through southwestern Quebec and throughout southern Ontario plus in southern Manitoba, south to East Texas and Florida.
The native range of the eastern gray squirrel overlaps with that of the fox squirrel ( Sciurus niger), with which it is sometimes confused, although the core of the fox squirrel's range is slightly more to the west. Sciurus carolinensis is native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the central provinces of Canada. This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union. In Europe, Sciurus carolinensis is included since 2016 in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). Widely introduced to certain places around the world, the eastern gray squirrel in Europe, in particular, is regarded as an invasive species. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodigious and ecologically essential natural forest regenerator. The eastern gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis), also known, particularly outside of North America, as simply the grey squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus.
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