Red Squirrel

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Written by Kathy Richards

The red squirrel is half the size of a gray squirrel. It weighs 5-10 oz and is 10.5-15 inches long. Both male and female look the same and are active year round.

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus CT Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

RANGE:

Northern Quebec south along the Appalachians to South Carolina and TN. Also from Alaska and British Columbia south along the  Rocky Mountains to New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus range map Izvora, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

HABITAT:

They primarily live in conifer forests but can sometimes be found in deciduous forest. They will occasionally be found in wooded rural areas in barns and abandoned buildings.

They primarily build their nest high up in the trees among branches against the tree trunk. The red squirrel can also be found living in cavities in trees, holes of the yellow-shafted flicker, abandoned crow or hawk nests and sometimes cervices in stone walls. 

FOOD:

The red squirrel feeds primarily on conifer seeds but is also an opportunistic feeder and will eat fungi, the inner bark of trees, nuts, seeds, insect larvae and baby birds.

Check out other animals in the exhibits nearby

Gray Fox

Fisher

Long Tailed Weasel