are black squirrels and gray squirrels the same species?
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Despite differences in coloring, eastern gray squirrels and so-called black squirrels are actually members of the same species.
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Black-colored fox squirrels have been found in Michigan, but it's rare, experts said. ... The black type of gray squirrels were a native color variant in the state before European settlers, said Adam Bump, furbearer specialist for the DNR's wildlife division. “They're native to Michigan,” Bump said.
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Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels focuses on one of our most charismatic and well-loved mammals – Scotland's native red squirrel. ... Grey squirrels also carry Squirrelpox – a virus lethal to reds but not to greys. There are estimated to be only 160,000 red squirrels remaining in the UK, 75% of which are in Scotland.
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The eastern gray squirrel is a bushy-tailed member of the rodent family. ... Florida is home to two other species of squirrels, the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) and the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans).
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Grey squirrels tend to breed in between January and April and, if food is plentiful, they may have a second litter in the summer. They are extremely successful and have replaced our native red squirrels over most of the UK.
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Gray squirrels have two copies of a normal pigment gene and black squirrels have one or two copies of a mutant pigment gene. This creates their different fur colours. ... Black squirrels have an increased cold tolerance and lose less heat than gray squirrels. It makes them more adaptable to harsher winter conditions.
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The eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), also known as the grey squirrel depending on region, is a 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.
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There are thought to be around 25,000 black squirrels in the UK, with numbers largely concentrated in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The first wild black squirrel was recorded in Woburn in 1912, and was believed to have escaped from a private zoo having been imported from the United States.
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Tree squirrels separate themselves from other members of the squirrel family because they live mostly among trees and not in burrows like ground squirrels. ... The most common tree squirrel in Western Washington is the non-native Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).
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What do squirrels look like? Squirrels look a lot like other rodents, such as chipmunks, rats and mice, but they are also quite different. ... The one thing that almost universally differentiates squirrels from rats is their large, bushy, hairy, tails.
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Gray squirrels breed in late winter or early spring. Following a 44-day gestation period, females bear litters of 4 to 5 young in late February, March or early April. The young are usually raised in tree dens and nursed by their mother for 5 to 7 weeks.
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Grey squirrels do not hibernate, so may be seen at all times of the year. However, in winter they are far less active, sleeping for long periods, sometimes several days at a time, and they are less frequently spotted during this season.
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The grey squirrel is the main reason for the decline of the red squirrel. Habitat loss has also contributed to the red squirrel's decline. ... Squirrelpox virus is fatal to red squirrels but is carried by grey squirrels without causing them any harm.
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Both gray and red squirrels are common and abundant in Massachusetts. Gray squirrels are found everywhere, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, while red squirrels are absent from both islands. ... Both are members of the squirrel family, along with flying squirrels, chipmunks, and woodchucks.
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The black squirrel is actually a gray squirrel with a faulty pigment gene carried over from the fox squirrel that turns their fur a darker shade.
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Unfortunately the grey squirrel carries the squirrel Parapox virus. It's a bit like Myxomatosis for squirrels and whilst it doesn't seem to harm the greys, it kills the reds. Between 1900 and 1920 (just a few decades after the arrival of the greys in this country), the reds were almost wiped out by the virus.
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North Carolina has five species of tree squirrels (gray, red, fox, southern flying, and northern flying squirrels).