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Sunday, October 3, 2010

The Eastern Grey Squirrel: Cute Little Tree Dweller

(eastern grey squirrel photo found at wikimedia commons under creative commons law)

The Eastern Grey Squirrel is one of the South's most notorious nut eaters. The little boogers can gnaw their way through a mockernut that is about two inches deep in nutshells. This little cutie is a grey and red mix with a white tummy.  The little fellows around my quarters like the pecans and black walnuts that grow around my grandmother's old home.

The Eastern Grey Squirrel will pack his little cheeks full of nuts for winter. His/her home is ususally a nice big nest made out of twigs, leaves, spanish moss and other findings. Fox squirrels usually have around 4-6 babies during the springtime.  Keeping the habitat around birds in the eco-system, the little squirrel has bird like qualities of bringing food back to the nest to feed her babies.

The eastern squirrel will breed two times a year. This means the the little fellows can multiply quicker than rabbits and cats. Gestation periods for the little squirrels is usually about 44 days.  It's life expectation is pretty miraculous. Not many small animals have a long expectancy, but the squirrel can live up to 20 years in captivity.  People have been known to keep these as pets, but after they have raised them from a bottle. My aunt and father had a grey squirrel named "Ozzy" growing up. It would hide in the pocket of shirts sit on one's shoulders.

Predators of the grey squirrels are domesticated cats and dogs, the golden eagle, hawks, coyotes, skunks, racoons, snakes and owls.

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