American Red Squirrel
Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
Summary 6
The American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is one of three species of tree squirrel currently classified in the genus Tamiasciurus, known as the pine squirrels (the others are the Douglas squirrel, T. douglasii and Mearns's squirrel, T. mearnsi). American red squirrels are also referred to as pine squirrels, North American red squirrels, and chickarees. They are medium-sized (200–250 g) diurnal mammals that defend a year-round exclusive territory. The diet of these tree squirrels is specialized on the...
Description 7
Red Squirrels are very vocal. They bark at intruders, including humans, and can bark continuously for more than an hour if they are annoyed. They also chatter, especially to stake out a territory and protect their stored food supply (conifer cones, which they harvest in great numbers) from other squirrels. They are especially noisy during the breeding season, when they chase each other through tree branches making a distinctive call that sounds almost like the buzz of cicadas. They readily nest in attics and cabins, and are trapped for their fur.
Links:
Mammal Species of the World
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Sources and Credits
- (c) Gilles Gonthier, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/46788399@N00/3878569154
- Dewhurst, Donna, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/21036.jpg
- (c) Michael Jefferies, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm1.static.flickr.com/95/277957119_7381b6f0ea.jpg
- (c) Biodiversity Heritage Library, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6172/6217229390_d1023461b0_o.jpg
- (c) cyric, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by cyric
- (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamiasciurus_hudsonicus
- (c) Smithsonian Institution, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://eol.org/data_objects/6625808
