Eastern gray squirrel
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The eastern gray squirrel is a rodent species commonly found in North America, recognizable by its gray fur and bushy tail. It matters because it plays an important ecological role as a seed disperser for trees and serves as a food source for various predators in its ecosystem.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Mass
- +15.5
- Image
- Melanistic squirrel in Central Park (14626).jpg
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- P105
- species
- P141
- Least Concern
- P5588
- European Union
- P9566
- diurnality
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Article
The eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), spelled as grey squirrel outside of the United States, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodigious and ecologically essential natural forest regenerator. Widely introduced to certain places around the world, the eastern gray squirrel in Europe, in particular, is regarded as an invasive species.
In Europe, Sciurus carolinensis is included (since 2016) in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union concern (the Union list). This implies that this species cannot be imported, bred, transported, commercialized, or intentionally released into the environment in the whole of the European Union.
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Extant Late Pleistocene first appearancesIUCN Red List least concern speciesLeast concern biota of the United StatesMammals described in 1788NatureServe secure speciesPleistocene mammals of North AmericaRefuse-eating animalsRodents of CanadaRodents of the United StatesSciurusSymbols of North CarolinaTaxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin