Fox squirrel
species of mammal
The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel, is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. It is sometimes mistaken for the American red squirrel or eastern gray squirrel in areas where the species coexist, though they differ in size and coloration.The word Sciurus came from the ancient Greek words skia, meaning shade, and oura, meaning tail. Niger refers to the black coloration.
Description
The fox squirrel's total length measures 20 to 30 in (50.8 to 76.2 cm), with a body length of 10 to 15 in (25.4 to 38.1 cm) and a similar tail length. They range in weight from 1.0 to 2.5 lb (453.6 to 1,134.0 g).The length of its hind foot is 5.1 to 8.2 cm. There is no sexual dimorphism in size or appearance. Individuals tend to be smaller in the West. There are three distinct geographical morphs in coloration. In most areas, the animal's upper body is brown-grey to brown-yellow with a typically brownish-orange underside, while in eastern regions, such as the Appalachians, there are more strikingly-patterned dark brown and black squirrels with white bands on the face and tail. In the South and parts of Nebraska and Iowa along the Missouri River, there are populations with uniform black coats.
The public source identifies “Fox squirrel” as species of mammal. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around squirrel, species and mammal.
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Datasets, specimens, observations and peer-reviewed methods provide the appropriate test for the technical claims summarized here. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 28, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q694296. The Library of Congress control number is sh85051124. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Fox squirrel” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.