Knowra Eastern gray squirrel Eastern gray squirrel The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel native to eastern North America, with gray fur and a bushy tail. It has also established introduced populations, notably in Britain.
Scatter-hoarding : A food-storage strategy in which animals hide provisions in many separate locations. Eastern gray squirrels bury individual nuts and later recover many of their hidden stores.
Seed dispersal : The movement of seeds away from parent plants, often by animals, wind, or water. Forgotten buried nuts can germinate far from the trees that produced them.
Eastern North America : The region of North America east of the Great Plains, including the eastern United States and southeastern Canada. This is the species' native region, where it occupies a wide range of wooded habitats.
American red squirrel : A small North American tree squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, with reddish fur and a strongly territorial lifestyle. It is a smaller native tree squirrel that shares parts of the eastern gray squirrel's range.
Squirrel dreys : A spherical leaf-and-twig nest built in a tree by squirrels. Eastern gray squirrels use dreys for shelter and rearing young, especially when tree cavities are scarce.
Urban ecology : The study of ecological processes and interactions in cities and other built environments. The squirrel readily uses parks, gardens, and buildings as habitat and food sources.
Grey squirrel in Britain : The introduced British population of the eastern gray squirrel, established after releases in the nineteenth century. Its spread in Britain is a prominent example of this species becoming invasive outside its native range.
Fox squirrel : A large tree squirrel native to eastern and central North America, usually with orange or brown coloration. It overlaps geographically with the eastern gray squirrel but is generally larger and differently colored.
Squirrel locomotion : The ways squirrels move through trees and across the ground, including climbing and leaping. Flexible ankles and strong hind limbs help this species descend trunks headfirst and leap between branches.
Invasive species : A non-native organism that spreads and causes ecological, economic, or other harm in its introduced range. Introduced populations in Britain compete with native red squirrels and damage some trees.
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