Fox Squirrel Profile
by Robert Bales
Title
Fox Squirrel Profile
Artist
Robert Bales
Medium
Photograph - Photo
Description
This was taken against the fall leaves color in the background.
The fox squirrel's natural range extends throughout the eastern United States, excluding New England, north into the southern prairie provinces of Canada, and western part of the United States. They have been introduced to both California and the Pacific Northwest. While very versatile in their habitat choices, fox squirrels are most often found in forest patches of 40 hectares or less with an open understory, or in urban neighborhoods with trees. They thrive best among trees such as oak, hickory, walnut, and pine that produce winter-storable foods like nuts. Western range extensions in Great Plains regions such as Kansas are associated with riverine corridors of cottonwood. A subspecies native to several eastern US states is the Delmarva fox squirrel.
"Eastern Fox Squirrels have long, foxtail-like tails, which they flick when they are excited. They and Eastern Gray Squirrels are alike in many ways. They breed at the same time of year, nest in the same kind of places, and eat the same foods. However, Fox Squirrels prefer more open habitat, whereas Grays prefer good tree cover. Fox Squirrels spend more time foraging and running about on the ground than do the grays, and may be encountered in fields quite far from any trees, where gray squirrels would not stray. Both species feed on acorns, which are rich in tannins. Tannins are poisonous to many animals, including worms, and keep the squirrels free of roundworms and tapeworms. Fox Squirrels accumulate another chemical compound, porphyrin, in their bones and teeth, which makes their bones and teeth pink and bright red under ultraviolet light. Here's a mystery: Gray Squirrels eat the same foods and this does not happen to them nor to any other healthy mammal."
Uploaded
November 1st, 2017
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Viewed 2,274 Times - Last Visitor from New York, NY on 03/27/2024 at 8:37 PM
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Comments (20)
Christopher James
One of your peers nominated this image in the 1000 views Groups Special Features #19 promotion discussion. Please help your fellow artists by visiting and passing on the love to another artist in the the 1000 Views Group....L/F/Tw
Christopher James
Congratulation.....your wonderful work has been featured in the 1000 Views on 1 Image Group ..... Please place your featured image in the Feature Archive and any other appropriate Archives l/f/p
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks, Christopher for the nice feature, congrats, invite, and the promotion!!
Christina Ford
wonderful shot and background that makes him pop!
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Christina for the nice comment!1 The late afternoon sure helped with the background!!
Joy Watson
Fantastic work lf
Robert Bales replied:
Thanks Joy for the comment and the LF!! We made it to Yuma, AZ for the winter.