Delmarva Fox Squirrel
Sciurus niger cinereus
The Delmarva fox squirrel has a gray body and a full, fluffy tail that can grow to 15 inches long. (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
The Delmarva fox squirrel is a large, gray squirrel that lives in quiet forests on the Delmarva Peninsula. It is an endangered species.
Appearance:
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Steel or whitish gray body
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White belly
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Full, fluffy tail with black edgings
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Tail can grow to 15 inches long
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Short, thick, rounded ears
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Can grow to 30 inches long and weigh up to 3 pounds
Habitat:
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Prefers quiet wooded areas, especially mature loblolly pine and hardwood forests with an open understory
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Also found in woodlots near farm fields and groves of trees near water
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Spends a considerable amount of time on the ground, rather than in trees like the common gray squirrel
Range:
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Found only in small isolated populations on the Delmarva Peninsula, mostly in Kent, Dorchester, Talbot and Queen Anne’s counties in Maryland
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Biologists have moved some squirrels to other parts of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia to help develop populations there
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Historic range extended as far north as southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania
Feeding:
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Feeds on nuts, seeds and acorns from gum, oak, pine, maple, walnut and hickory trees
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Will also eat buds, flowers, fruit, fungi, insects and mature green pine cones
Predators:
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Humans are major predators that have caused habitat loss through development and logging
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Red foxes, minks, weasels, raptors, and unleashed dogs and cats are natural predators
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Raccoons, opossums and rat snakes may prey on young squirrels
Reproduction and Life Cycle:
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Mates in late winter and early spring
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Usually makes a den in a tree hollow but will also nest on a tree crotch, in tangles of vines on tree trunks or at the end of large tree branches
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About 44 days later (usually in February-April) the female gives birth to a litter of 1-6 young
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The female cares for her young until they are weaned
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Reaches sexual maturity after one year
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Can live to 6 years old
Other Facts:
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One of 10 recognized subspecies of fox squirrels, which are the largest tree squirrels in the western hemisphere
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Listed as an endangered species in 1967 because of habitat loss due to development and timber harvesting
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Easily distinguished from the common gray squirrel by its larger size, lighter color and shy, quiet behavior
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Rather than jumping from tree to tree, Delmarva fox squirrels will descend down a tree and travel on the ground to the next tree
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