![]() They have excellent eyesight, even in low-light conditions. These squirrels are highly adapted to climbing and can be very fast. The color of their fur is usually a pale orange-brown but some varieties also have black fur. These squirrels can be found in the eastern, central and southeastern portions of the United States. Tree Squirrel: Eastern Fox Squirrel ( Sciurus niger) The Arizona Gray does not make many sounds and will avoid predator detection by remaining motionless for long periods of time. The population of Arizona Grays is small and they compete with Abert’s squirrels for resources. The Arizona Gray is found in the canyons of Arizona and New Mexico and is very similar in appearance to an Eastern Gray. Tree Squirrel: Arizona Gray Squirrel ( Sciurus arizonensis) The Western Gray is a large squirrel that looks similar to, and is often confused with, the Eastern Gray. The Western Gray is listed as Threatened in Washington. Western gray squirrels can be found in Washington, Oregon, California, and in areas of Nevada. Tree Squirrel: Western Gray Squirrel (sciurus griseus) They consume flowers, buds, fungi, bark, and nuts, but they will also eat bird eggs, and meat in the form of frogs, insects, and young birds. They use different kinds of sounds and tail signs to communicate and have a sharp sense of smell. Dens are holes in a tree that are useful during winter. Gray squirrels mostly live in dens or nests. Albinos are rare among grey squirrels but pure black variants are common.Ĭurious? Read this: Black Squirrel Facts: Are They More Aggressive? The eastern gray squirrel’s fur ranges from dark to light gray and they typically have white bellies. Nothing can make bird lovers more angry than watching that bushy tail flick with happiness while eating up all the bird feed. They are a type of tree squirrel that lives its life scampering up and down oaks and other trees while gathering acorns and other food.Įastern Grays are extremely adaptable and can often be found in backyards while robbing bird feeders. These are among the most common squirrels seen in the United States. The eastern gray squirrel is native to the eastern areas of America and the northern portions of Canada. ![]() Tree Squirrel: Eastern Gray Squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) This list covers all members of the squirrel family including: There are 65 species of squirrels in the United States. How Many Types of Squirrels Are There in The United States? ![]() From there we will move into the scientific naming conventions for all 289 squirrel species. I am going to start this article off with the list and descriptions of all of the types of squirrels found in the United States. Of the 289 species of squirrels in the world only 22% can be found in the United States. ![]() The number has some uncertainty in it as some species of squirrels have subspecies and the subspecies sometimes get “moved up” into their own new separate species. The number of 289 was derived from the list of species provided by the Animal Diversity Web (ADW) which is an online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification, and conservation biology at the University of Michigan ( source). It turns out that creatures as diverse as chipmunks and groundhogs are also technically considered to be squirrels!Īfter you sort through all of the confusion and add up all of the different types of squirrels in the world you will find that there are 289 different species! For example, in the US there are three distinct species of tree squirrels that are called “Gray Squirrels” (Eastern, Western and Arizona).Īnother point of confusion is that the squirrel family encompasses many more creatures than just the common tree squirrels that we see in our backyards. A squirrel will often have multiple common names and those names will often overlap with the common names of other species of squirrels. When people are trying to learn about squirrels they often get confused by all of the different names.
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