Biologists with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission are asking the public for help tracking fox squirrels in North Carolina. New sightings have recently been documented in counties and biologists want to confirm the presence of fox squirrels in those counties. The new sightings are from Currituck, Lincoln, Granville and Madison counties.
The fox squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in North Carolina, nearly twice the size of the more common gray squirrel. It lives primarily in mature longleaf pine and open pine-oak forests in the Sandhills and southern coastal plain, but we have confirmed observations from the Piedmont and mountain regions associated with open deciduous forests surrounded by pasture or other open habitat.
Fox squirrels come in various color phases. In the Sandhills and coastal plain of North Carolina, they are grayish with various black spots on the head and feet and white spots on the nose, paws, and ear tips. Some animals are almost all black with dark gray spots, others are reddish or rust colored. Squirrels in the northwestern population usually have a tawny or gray-gray upper part and a rust or pale orange-brown color on the underside, ears, and legs. The top of the head is usually black, and they often have a white nose as well.
If you observe a gray squirrel, please take a photo, note the location (preferably GPS coordinates), and email the Wildlife Commission’s NC Wildlife Helpline at [email protected].
As mentioned, the NCWRC is particularly interested in observations from the following counties: Lincoln, Granville, Currituck and Madison.
