Douglas squirrel or chickaree Tamiasciurus douglasii

Order Rodentia Rodents

• Animals with 2 upper & 2 lower incisors and no canines
• Of all mammals, has the most number of worldwide species

Family Sciuridae Squirrel Family (tail always completely haired)

Subfamily Sciurinae  Marmots, ground squirrels, chipmunks, & tree squirrels

• Tail usually bushy
• 4 toes on front feet, 5 toes on hind feet
• Internal cheek pouches in ground squirrels & chipmunks)

 

Characteristics:

• Whitish-tipped tail hairs
• Underparts: yellowish white to deep orange
• In summer, a dark line demarks dorsal edge
• Ears tipped with long hairs
• Tree squirrels do not hibernate and are active during the day (except for Northern flying squirrel)

Eats: conifer cones, cut from trees in the fall and stored in a moist place for 1-3 years.  Also eats fungi.

Eaten by: coyotes, bobcats, goshawks, horned owls

Tree squirrels differ from ground squirrels and chipmunks by having:

1. Long, bushy tails
2. Lack of stripes or spots on sides
3. 3.No internal cheek pouches