Fox Squirrel

Fox Squirrel eating winter berries.

I have a beautiful Oak tree in my back yard and every fall the squirrels harvest the acorns. This year I had a bumper crop and they were especially busy burying them in the ground. Sometime, watch a squirrel bury a nut, and then try to find it afterwards! You’ll see that after picking the spot, a hole is quickly dug with the front paws and the nut is poked into it. Then, with a motion that would remind you of someone working the shell game at a carnival, it will deftly cover up its prize. Later, when they are hungry, they will return and dig them up for a meal locating the nuts with their sense of smell. Often times the nuts are not found and this is a very significant source of new trees.  Thus the saying, "even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes."

They are called FOX Squirrels because of the rufous-colored fur on their belly.