---
title: "What the sources say about the Eastern Gray Squirrel | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "49 claims from the Eastern Gray Squirrel profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/eastern-gray-squirrel-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/eastern-gray-squirrel/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Eastern Gray Squirrel (*Sciurus carolinensis*)

> 49 claims from the Eastern Gray Squirrel profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Eastern Gray Squirrel](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/eastern-gray-squirrel/)

## Sciurus carolinensis. Animal Diversity Web.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sciurus_carolinensis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| An eastern North American tree squirrel | ranges over the eastern United States to just west of the Mississippi River and north to Canada (note: tagline) |
| Mature woodland, parks and suburbs of the eastern United States and Canada; introduced to Britain, Ireland and Italy | prefers habitats of mature continuous woodlands of greater than 40 hectares (note: stats.habitat) |
| introduced to Britain, Ireland and Italy | Introductions have occurred in the western states and some of Canada that was not previously inhabited, as well as in Italy, Scotland, England and Ireland. (note: stats.habitat) |
| parks and suburbs | Other Habitat Features urban urban suburban suburban (note: stats.habitat) |
| Mostly nuts, flowers and buds, plus fungi, insects, bird eggs and nestlings | feeds mostly on nuts, flowers and buds of more than 24 species of oaks (note: stats.diet) |
| fungi, insects, bird eggs and nestlings | Insects are eaten in the summer and are probably especially important for juveniles. Cannibalism has been reported, and squirrels may also eat bones, bird eggs and nestlings (note: stats.diet; fungus listed under Other Foods) |
| They use scatter hoarding, hiding food in many small caches instead of one big pile, and they find the caches again using memory and smell. | They bury food in winter caches using a method called scatter hoarding and locate these caches using both memory and smell. |
| Their seed caching may also help spread tree seeds. | Their seed-caching activities may help disperse tree seeds. |
| An adult is a medium-sized tree squirrel. | Sciurus carolinensis is a medium sized tree squirrel |
| It measures 380 to 525 mm in total length, with a tail of 150 to 250 mm | The total length of these squirrels ranges from 380 to 525 mm, tail length ranges from 150 to 250 mm |
| Its mass runs from 338 to 750 g, and the average is about 540 g. | Range mass 338 to 750 g 11.91 to 26.43 oz Average mass 540.33 g |
| Adult size comes at 9 months old. | Adult size and mass are reached at 9 months old. |
| Predators include bobcats, coyotes and red-tailed hawks. | Eastern grey squirrels are preyed on by many predators, including American mink, other weasels, red foxes, bobcats, grey wolves, coyotes, lynx, and birds of prey, such as red-tailed hawks. |
| They give warning calls, and their agility in the trees makes them hard to catch. | They emit warning calls to warn neighboring squirrels of the presence of predators. Their extreme agility in the trees makes them difficult to capture. |
| They nest in a ball of leaves and twigs, or a tree den | Squirrels occupy two types of homes, including a permanent tree den as well as a nest of leaves and twigs on a tree crotch |
| Nuts lead the menu, along with flowers and buds, from more than 24 oak species, 10 hickory species, and pecan, walnut and beech trees | feeds mostly on nuts, flowers and buds of more than 24 species of oaks, 10 species of hickory, pecan, walnut and beech tree species |
| insects in summer, and sometimes bird eggs and nestlings | Insects are eaten in the summer ... squirrels may also eat bones, bird eggs and nestlings |
| Its native home stretches across the eastern United States, a little beyond the Mississippi to the west, and up into Canada. | ranges over the eastern United States to just west of the Mississippi River and north to Canada |
| Dark, melanistic squirrels are common in the north of that range. | Melanism is common in the northern portions of the range |
| The species has also been introduced to Italy, Scotland, England and Ireland. | as well as in Italy, Scotland, England and Ireland |
| Nose to tail tip, an adult is 380 to 525 mm long, and it weighs between 338 and 750 g. | The total length of these squirrels ranges from 380 to 525 mm ... Range mass 338 to 750 g |
| Gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) bury food in winter caches. | They bury food in winter caches using a method called scatter hoarding |
| It measures 380 to 525 mm in total length | The total length of these squirrels ranges from 380 to 525 mm |
| with a tail of 150 to 250 mm | tail length ranges from 150 to 250 mm |
| Its mass runs from 338 to 750 g | Range mass 338 to 750 g |
| The average is about 540 g | Average mass 540.33 g |
| weightKg: 0.54 | Average mass 540.33 g (note: task #1246; ADW average adult mass. Light class (0.1 to 10 kg); the name guess would have been Medium.) |

## AnAge entry for Sciurus carolinensis. Human Ageing Genomic Resources, AnAge.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Sciurus_carolinensis

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| lists 23.6 years in captivity as the maximum, though it rates the sample size as small | Maximum longevity 23.6 years (captivity) Source ref. 671 Sample size Small |
| The record in AnAge is 23.6 years, set by a squirrel in captivity, and the database marks the sample behind it as small. | Maximum longevity 23.6 years (captivity) Source ref. 671 Sample size Small |

## Squirrels in the UK: What they're up to, when and why. Natural History Museum, London.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/uk-squirrel-behaviour-what-when-and-why.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| has been known to dig empty cache holes when other squirrels are around | When other squirrels are around, they'll dig and cover some cache sites without actually burying any food in them. (note: tagline) |
| now far outnumbers the native red squirrel in the UK | around 140,000 red squirrels and a whopping 2.5 million grey squirrels living in the UK (note: tagline) |
| Known to dig decoy caches, covering holes with no food in them, when other squirrels are around | When other squirrels are around, they'll dig and cover some cache sites without actually burying any food in them. (note: stats.superpower) |
| spreading the stash out is thought to reduce the damage when another squirrel steals from it | they hide their foraged food across a wide area. It's thought this reduces the impact of cache pilferage on the forager's winter supplies. This is where another squirrel takes food it didn't collect itself. |
| With other squirrels nearby, greys have been known to dig a cache hole and cover it again with nothing buried inside. | Grey squirrels have been known to use deceptive tactics to protect their supplies. When other squirrels are around, they'll dig and cover some cache sites without actually burying any food in them. |
| The museum says this may act as a distraction that keeps carefully foraged food from being stolen right away. | Deceptive caching may serve as a distraction, preventing carefully foraged food from being stolen immediately by other squirrels. |
| do not hibernate | Squirrels don't hibernate. Red and grey squirrels are active during the day, all year round. |
| The museum calls squirrels opportunistic feeders. | They're opportunistic feeders. |
| about 2.5 million grey squirrels against around 140,000 red squirrels | The Wildlife Trusts estimate there to be around 140,000 red squirrels and a whopping 2.5 million grey squirrels living in the UK. |
| Greys were introduced from North America, possibly as early as the 1870s | This species is from North America and was introduced to the UK, possibly as early as the 1870s. |
| They win a bigger share of the food than reds, steal from their caches | Grey squirrels take a larger share of available food, steal from red squirrels' food caches |
| can carry squirrelpox virus, which greys resist but which can infect and kill reds | They can carry disease such as the squirrelpox virus, which greys are resistant to but can infect and kill red squirrels. |
| The museum says they have displaced the native red squirrel in the UK and parts of Europe. | have displaced the native squirrel population in the UK and parts of Europe |
| Rather than keeping one larder, they scatter food across a wide area. According to the Natural History Museum, the thinking is that this limits how much of the winter supply is lost when another squirrel raids a cache. | Squirrels don't use a single central larder. Instead, they hide their foraged food across a wide area. It's thought this reduces the impact of cache pilferage on the forager's winter supplies. |
| Grey squirrels were brought to the UK from North America, possibly from the 1870s. The museum lists three ways they hurt reds: they eat more of the shared food, they raid red squirrels' stores, and they can pass on squirrelpox, a virus that can kill reds while greys resist it. | This species is from North America and was introduced to the UK, possibly as early as the 1870s. They directly compete with red squirrels. Grey squirrels take a larger share of available food, steal from red squirrels' food caches ... They can carry disease such as the squirrelpox virus, which greys are resistant to but can infect and kill red squirrels. |
| are now far more common in most areas | grey squirrels, which are not native to the UK, are now far more common in most areas |
| hiding food in many small caches instead of one big pile | Squirrels don't use a single central larder. Instead, they hide their foraged food across a wide area. |
| Then comes the trick, which the museum calls deceptive caching. | Deceptive caching may serve as a distraction |
| With other squirrels nearby, greys have been known to dig a cache hole and cover it again with nothing buried inside | Grey squirrels have been known to use deceptive tactics to protect their supplies. When other squirrels are around, they'll dig and cover some cache sites without actually burying any food in them. (note: vibe.reason) |

## Cassola (2018). Sciurus carolinensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T42462A276917738.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-2.rlts.t42462a276917738.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). (note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the Red List checked against taxon 42462) |