| American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben, 1777)) |
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Scientific name: Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Erxleben, 1777) Common name: American Red Squirrel French name: Écureuil roux américain Family: Sciuridae Size: Body size: 16 to 23 cm to which must be added between 9 and 16 cm of tail; Weight: 140 to 310 g. Biotope: Coniferous, mixed or deciduous forests. Food: Conifer cones, buds and fruits, mushrooms but also mice, eggs and chicks. Longevity : Up to 7 to 8 years but less than 3 years on average. Geographic area: North America, Canada except the most northern regions without forest cover, the Rocky Mountains and northern half of the eastern states in the United States. |
The American Red Squirrel is a different species from the Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). The American Red Squirrel generally has a rufous back, but there are grey or even blackish variants. The belly is white or whitish and separated from the rest of the coat by a thin black band. The Douglas Squirrel (Tamasciurus douglasii) found along the west coast of North America differs by its rust-coloured belly. Females can mate with 4 to 15 different males. There are one or two litters of 3 or 4 young per year. |
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I photographed this American Red Squirrel along the forest trail that leads to the statue of Notre Dame du Saguenay. |
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Here is one of the favorite meals of the American Red Squirrel, a conifer cone. |
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The clearly visible udders must indicate that this female is nursing a litter of baby squirrels. |
André Bon March 2023