64 Sciurus niger42.8 ha, are larger for males, and decrease with habitat frag-
ment size. Annual adult survivorship is high, at greater than
60 percent throughout adult life. Longevity in the fi eld for
males is 8.3 years, and for females 12.6 years; in captivity, it
is at least 13.0 years. Predators of eastern fox squirrels in-
clude mustelids, procyonids, felids, canids, opossums, rap-
tors, and snakes. Their alarm calls are a series of medium-
pitched barks, often followed by long high-pitched whines.
Eastern fox squirrels are a game animal throughout their
range, and they are highly prized as a food. These squirrels
are also often valued in parks and cities as wildlife that is
easily watched, and they present an educational opportu-
nity for studies of ecology and behavior. Furthermore,
through the burial of seeds, this species plays an integral
role in the succession of grasslands to mature forests. S. ni-
ger is considered a pest in gardens, fi elds of agricultural
crops (corn/maize, oats, wheat, soybeans, and sorghum),
and orchards (apples, oranges, blueberries, and cherries),
especially where these squirrels were introduced in Califor-
nia. Habitat loss and fragmentation remain the most signifi -
cant threats to eastern fox squirrels.general references: Adam 1984; Bertolino 2009; Derge
and Steele 1999; Geluso 2004; Koprowski 1994b, 1996; Kotler
et al. 1999; McCleery et al. 2008; K. A. Schmidt 2000; Steele
and Koprowski 2001; Steele and Weigl 1992; Thorson et al.
1998; Wrigley et al. 1991.Sciurus oculatus (Peters, 1863)
Peters’s Squirreldescription: Peters’s squirrels are large tree squirrels.
They have a grizzled gray dorsum, sometimes with a me-
dian black band. The eye ring is white to buff. The venter is
white suff used with pa le yellow to ochraceous buff. The tail
is black suff used with white above, whereas below a yellow
cast is sometimes apparent.size: Both sexes—TL 508–543 mm; T 256–269 mm.Sciurus niger rufiventer. Photo courtesy Lowell B. Johnson,
http://www.flickr.com/lbjbirds Lowell Johnson.Sciurus niger cinereus. Photo courtesy Cynthia C. Winter.