Hobbies And Interests
Instructions
Look for a large squirrel that can measure as long as 28 inches, if you include the length of its bushy tail. The body of the eastern fox squirrel averages between 10 and 15 inches in length, with the tail -- which resembles that of a fox -- being between 7 and 13 inches long. Eastern fox squirrels weigh between 17 and 37 oz.
Identify the eastern fox squirrel by its separate color phases. Look for this species to be gray above but with yellowish undersides in the northeastern portion of its range, including the Great Lakes region and the mid-Atlantic states. In the Great Plains from Minnesota south to Texas, the colors are gray above but red-brown on the undersides. In the South, the eastern fox squirrel is black, featuring a white facial stripe and touch of white on the tip of its tail.
Distinguish the eastern fox squirrel from the gray squirrel by the yellowish tips on its ears. The tail of the eastern fox squirrel is longer and denser than that of its cousin.
Observe the behavior of the eastern fox squirrel as opposed to that of the similar gray squirrel. The fox squirrel prefers a much more open habitat and the mammal often strays far from the safety of trees in the pursuit of food. The fox squirrel forages out in the open and along the ground more readily than the gray squirrel does, notes the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
Distinguish the eastern fox squirrel from other squirrels by its solitary nature. The species occasionally shares a feeding area with other squirrels, but it typically forages alone, looking for such food items as acorns, hickory nuts, seeds, fruits and berries, states the New Hampshire Public Television NatureWorks website.