identification

Submitted by rube on 4/22/05 at 9:32 PM. ( ) 71.98.8.226

I have a tough time sometimes telling fox squirrels apart from greys. Is there an easy way to tell them apart?

Return to Lifesize Mammal Taxidermy Category Menu


Fox is larger

This response submitted by scanman on 4/22/05 at 9:46 PM. ( ) 64.181.4.142

Fox squirrel(17-28" long) is larger than the grey(16-20"long). Fox squirrel has a yellowish belly and the tail has yellow-tipped hairs, where as the grey has a white-grey belly and the tail hairs are silvery-tiipped.


YES!

This response submitted by jrosbor on 4/22/05 at 9:48 PM. ( joseph.osborn@landsend.com ) 64.73.36.192

You can try looking at them! the fox squirrel has an orange belly and a brown/orange back. the grey squirrel has a white belly and a gray back! hope this info helps! joe


what if

This response submitted by rube on 4/22/05 at 9:50 PM. ( ) 71.98.8.226

It is 20" and has a yellow-brown chin/face and a majority of yellow belly fur, but a gray back and silvery-tipped furs on the tail? I see a lot of that sort.


You guys don't know fox squirrels obviously

This response submitted by George on 4/22/05 at 10:49 PM. ( georoof@aol.com ) 205.188.116.199

Fox squirrels aren't all RED. In the deep south, fox squirrels come in 3 colors. They are the gray, the black and the red. A GRAY fox squirrel is a salt and pepper gray. It sometimes has a black mask, black stockings or a combination of all of them. The BLACK fox squirrel is sable black. Sometimes they have white muzzles, white ear tips, white tail tips or white stockings or a combination of all of them. The RED is the most common in the Norther Tier states and you'll be hard pressed to even find any of the other color variants in those areas.

The Delmarva Fox Squirrel is the woodpile member of the clan. This squirrel is huge and more of a silver gray than salt and pepper. It can reach the size of a small cat and it has a face resembling a chinchilla.

Aside from size, all fox squirrels tend to have a Roman nose. The common gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) seldom weighs over a pound while the fox (Sciurus niger, i.e. BLACK SQUIRREL) often reaches 3 pounds or more.


Return to Lifesize Mammal Taxidermy Category Menu