squirrel hybridization: do they or don't they??

14 years ago

Well, the internet says yes and no, depending on the source. THe squirrels in question are fox squirrels and greys, and my reason for wondering is sitting outside the window stuffing his face with BOSS. It's a youngster, less than a year old, and it does not seem to get along too well with the other greys. I first noticed it about a week or so ago, but honestly it has probably been here in the yard all this year but with so many squirrels around I quit really watching them too closely. It has a totally red tail, meaning a dusty rust color, with very little variation, no band of dark blackish hair up the middle like most true foxes. The rest of the body is also highlighted with rust, and the characteristic that really stikes me as odd is the blackened forelegs, from the elbows to the paws and the almost as black bottom jaw and chin. I first thought perhaps this individual had been spending a lot of time cutting on walnuts and had simply stained itself but this is not the case. They are simply black.

I know there is an awful lot of variation in coloration, with the tail hairs showing all sorts of banding, and then there are even the occasional melanistic and albinistic populations, but this is the only individual I've seen like this here. I am thinking it's likely just a oddball grey, but we do have foxes sharing the same area and one has to wonder...

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Comments (5)

lisa11310
14 years ago
Howdy! Yes simply yes, We have Black, Grey, Fox and Red and we have a varitiey of in-betweens. They do not seem to be pickey in the least around here. I actually saw a male fox jumping from a female grey to a female black. He was a fiesty boy!
maifleur01
14 years ago
I think that the sources that state that squirrels do not cross breed have never been out in the field and did any comparative studies. I live in an area that is a mixing ground for Grey and Fox and see all kinds of in-betweens. When I moved here in 1993 we had fox squirrels that were a light dusted grey, almost white. I have seen small greys with fox tails, large foxes with small skinny grey tails and every thing in between. I did see one with the original color variation last fall but he had been castrated. But if the strain is still there we will have more of the dusty greys.
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Pat z6 MI
14 years ago
maifleur, please explain to me and maybe others as clueless as me, how do you he was castrated and how would that have happened. I am having a squirred prob right now and am interested in learning more, please.
maifleur01
14 years ago
Sorry, I thought most knew about squirrel castration. It too is one of those things that supposedly do not happen. Male squirrels may during the breeding seasons may use their teeth any place on a rivals body. Since they are chasing each other they will grab any portion including testicles. This does not happen very often but if you see an overly fat squirrel with a damaged tail and have binoculars look at where the testicles should be. You will if your glasses are really good look for scars and or if damage is fresh as in my squirrel pieces of sack and tissue. Poor baby had full sack cut at bottom and part of one testicle hanging.

Most of the information where people think they have a castrated squirrel is caused by the squirrels body not having the testicles desend until old enough to breed. Some biologist state that this is at about 1 year of age but this may vary.

A similar process happens in male kittens. In the past it was suggested that male cats not be castrated until the testicles desended. In cats this is at about 9 months.
Pat z6 MI
14 years ago
How interesting. Thank you.