STATUS:
Endangered
COLOR:
Heavy fur, silver to whitish-gray, with a full, fluffy tail and white belly
SIZE:
Adults weigh 1.5 to 3 pounds and are 20 to 30 inches long, including tail. About twice the size of the common gray squirrel.
HABITAT:
Mature mixed pine and hardwood forests located along streams and marshland.
RANGE:
Originally throughout the Delmarva Peninsula, now only occurs naturally in parts of Queen Anne's, Talbot and Dorchester Counties in Maryland. Introduced populations live in other parts of Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Pennsylvania.
FOOD:
Mainly nuts and seeds, also tree buds, flowers, fungi, insects, fruit and pinecones.
BEHAVIOR:
A polygamous, non-confrontational animal that runs when threatened. Usually descends to the ground when moving from tree to tree.
OFFSPRING:
Mate in late winter and early spring, with the female giving birth to between one and four young about 44 days later in February or March and caring for the litter by herself.
THREATS:
Main population decline due to habitat loss from agricultural and residential development.
Back
to Main Page
