Fox Squirrel: Size, Habitat & Facts

What Is a Fox Squirrel?

The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) is the largest tree squirrel native to North America. Its name comes from its fur: a rusty reddish-brown coat mixed with black that looks like a fox's coloring. Some people also call it the eastern fox squirrel, Bryant's fox squirrel, the stump-eared squirrel, or the monkey-faced squirrel.

Fox squirrels are heavy-bodied and sturdy. Adults measure 20 to 30 inches from nose to tail tip (50.8 to 76.2 cm), with the body and tail each about 10 to 15 inches long. They weigh between 1 and 2.5 pounds (453 to 1,134 grams), averaging about 1.75 pounds. Males and females are the same size and look the same — there is no visible difference between the sexes.

The scientific name tells a small story of its own. Sciurus comes from the Greek words skia (shade) and oura (tail) — "shade tail." Niger is Latin for black, a nod to the dark color forms found in parts of its range.

How to Identify a Fox Squirrel: Size, Color, and Features

The fastest way to spot a fox squirrel is by its size and its warm reddish color. It is noticeably bigger than the eastern grey squirrel — close to twice as heavy — and its belly, ears, and the edges of its tail carry a rusty orange tint instead of the grey squirrel's white.

Color Variations Across Its Range

Fox squirrels show more color variation than almost any other mammal in North America. Scientists recognize three main regional color forms:

• Most of the range: Brown-grey to brown-yellow back with a brownish-orange underside. This is the classic "foxy" look.
• Appalachian region: Strikingly patterned dark brown and black squirrels with white bands on the face and tail.
• The South and parts of Nebraska and Iowa: Populations with uniform black coats. In central Florida, the black form is known as Sherman's fox squirrel (S. n. shermani).

In the southeastern United States, full and partial black (melanic) individuals are common. Researchers think the dark coat may be an adaptation to fire-cleared ground, where the surface alternates between light ash and dark regrowth after burning.

Built for Climbing

Fox squirrels have sharp, curved claws, strong finger and forearm muscles, and a muscular belly — all built for gripping bark. They have excellent eyesight that works even in dim light, plus sharp hearing and smell. They also carry several sets of whiskers (vibrissae) above and below their eyes, on the chin and nose, and on each forearm, which help them sense their surroundings as they climb.

Fox Squirrel vs Grey Squirrel: Key Differences

Fox squirrels and grey squirrels often live in the same regions, and casual observers mix them up. The table below shows how to tell them apart.

A 2019 study in BMC Evolutionary Biology added an interesting twist: when fox squirrels and grey squirrels mate where their ranges overlap, the offspring can carry a gene variant that produces black-phase grey squirrels. The same gene is linked to the reddish-brown fur of fox squirrels.

Where Fox Squirrels Live: Range and Habitat

Range

The fox squirrel's natural range covers most of the eastern United States. It is found from the Dakotas, Colorado, and Texas in the west, across the Midwest and Southeast, south into northern Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas), and north into the southern prairie provinces of Canada.

It is absent — except for the occasional wanderer — from New England, New Jersey, most of New York, and northern and eastern Pennsylvania. People have also introduced fox squirrels to northern and southern California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington, New Mexico, and Utah, as well as parts of Ontario and British Columbia in Canada.

Habitat

Fox squirrels are picky about forest structure but flexible about location. They do best in:

• Small forest patches (about 100 acres or less) with an open understory
• Forest edges where woods meet fields
• Open stands of oak, hickory, walnut, pecan, and pine — trees that drop storable nuts
• Urban parks and suburban neighborhoods with mature trees

They avoid woods with thick, tangled undergrowth. In the Great Plains, fox squirrels follow river corridors lined with cottonwood trees. They often forage on the ground hundreds of meters from the nearest woodlot.

Where to See Them

Good places to spot fox squirrels include city parks, college campuses, golf courses, and farm edges across the Midwest and South. In the Southeast, look along the edges of pine and hardwood forests. Because they spend so much time on the ground, you are more likely to see a fox squirrel crossing a lawn than a grey squirrel is.

The best time to watch them is early morning or late afternoon, when they are most active. Listen for their chatter calls and watch for tail flicks — both signal that a fox squirrel is nearby. In winter, check the sunny sides of large oak and hickory trees, where they often bask between foraging trips. If you sit quietly near a known feeding tree, a fox squirrel may come within a few yards, since urban populations grow used to people. Bring binoculars to a forest edge at dawn in states like Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, or Georgia, and you will rarely wait long for one to appear.

What Fox Squirrels Eat

Fox squirrels are omnivores with a broad diet that shifts with the seasons:

• Fall and winter: Acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, pecans, beechnuts, and hazelnuts — cached in scattered underground burrows and found later by smell
• Spring: Tree buds, flowers, and the seeds of maple and elm
• Summer: Berries, fruits, corn, and grains
• Year-round extras: Fungi, insects, moths, beetles, bird eggs, nestlings, and the occasional bit of carrion

They are expert hoarders. A fox squirrel digs a quick hole with its front paws, pokes the nut in, and covers it in one smooth motion. It finds the cache later using its keen sense of smell. Many buried nuts are never found — and those forgotten nuts grow into new trees, making fox squirrels quiet but important forest planters. For more on squirrel diets, see our guide to what squirrels like to eat.

Fox Squirrel Behavior

Fox squirrels are active during the day (diurnal), with peaks in the early morning and late afternoon. Unlike grey squirrels, which stay high in the canopy, fox squirrels spend a large part of the day foraging on the ground. They can run at about 12 mph (19 km/h) and leap up to 8 feet between branches.

They communicate through chatter calls, tail flicks, and scent marking. Alarm calls differ depending on whether the threat comes from the sky or the ground. Males follow a dominance hierarchy, especially during breeding season, and may chase rivals through the treetops.

Fox squirrels are solitary for most of the year. In winter, several may share a den to stay warm. On hot summer days they rest by stretching out flat on shaded branches to cool off — a posture wildlife watchers sometimes call "splooting." They do not hibernate — they stay active through winter, relying on cached food. Read our full guide on whether squirrels hibernate to learn how they survive the cold.

Nesting: Dreys and Tree Dens

Fox squirrels build two kinds of homes:

• Leaf nests (dreys): Ball-shaped nests of leaves, twigs, and bark built in the forks of deciduous trees, usually about 30 feet off the ground. Fox squirrels build most of their dreys in summer.
• Tree dens: Natural hollows or old woodpecker holes in large trees. Dens are preferred in winter and for raising young because they hold heat better. A den is typically about 6 inches wide and 14–16 inches deep, so the tree must have a trunk at least 15 inches across.

When no dens are available, fox squirrels use leaf nests all year. Learn more about how squirrels build nests and where squirrels sleep.

Reproduction and Baby Fox Squirrels

Fox squirrels breed twice a year. Females come into estrus in mid-December to early January and again in June. Males chase females through the trees, and the winning male guards the female from rivals.

• Gestation: 44 to 45 days
• Litter size: 2 to 4 kits on average (range of 2 to 7)
• Birth: Kits are born naked and blind, weighing about half an ounce (13–18 grams)
• Development: Fur grows in by about 2 weeks, eyes open around 5 weeks
• Weaning: 8 to 12 weeks
• Independence: About 3 months, when juveniles disperse in September or October

Females become sexually mature at 10 to 11 months and have their first litter at about a year old. Yearling females usually have one litter per year; older females have two. The mother raises the young alone — males leave after mating. Baby squirrels are called kits or kittens.

How Long Do Fox Squirrels Live?

Life is hard for wild fox squirrels. Most die before reaching adulthood, taken by predators, harsh winters, or mange mites. Those that survive average 6 to 7 years in the wild.

• Wild: Average 6–7 years; maximum about 12.6 years for females and 8.6 years for males
• Captivity: Up to 18 years

Females live longer than males on average. The biggest threats are habitat loss, overhunting in areas where they are a game species, mange mites (Cnemidoptes spp.), and severe winter weather. For a deeper look at squirrel aging, see our guide on how long squirrels live.

Predators

Few predators can catch a healthy adult fox squirrel, but bobcats, red foxes, gray foxes, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, great horned owls, barred owls, and coyotes all take them on occasion. Nestlings are far more vulnerable — raccoons, opossums, rat snakes, and pine snakes climb into nests to reach them.

Fox Squirrel Subspecies

Scientists recognize 10 subspecies of the fox squirrel. Most are common, but a few have faced serious trouble:

• Delmarva fox squirrel (S. n. cinereus): Found on the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia). Listed as federally endangered in 1967 after its range shrank to 10% of historic levels. Thanks to reintroduction and habitat work with private landowners, it recovered and was removed from the endangered list in December 2015.
• Sherman's fox squirrel (S. n. shermani): Central Florida. Listed as a species of special concern in Florida. Often solid black.
• Big Cypress fox squirrel (S. n. avicennia): Southwestern Florida. Listed as threatened in Florida.
• Southern fox squirrel (S. n. niger) and Bachman's fox squirrel (S. n. bachmani): No special conservation status.

Overall, the fox squirrel is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, and populations are stable across most of the range.

Interesting Fox Squirrel Facts

• Fox squirrels display more color variation than any other mammal in North America, according to the Florida chapter of The Wildlife Society.
• A fox squirrel's teeth never stop growing. It has 20 teeth, and constant gnawing on nuts and bark keeps them filed down to a working length.
• Males are called boars, females are called sows, and babies are called kits or kittens.
• Fox squirrels were an important meat source for European settlers in the 1600s and 1700s, and they are still hunted as a game animal in many states.
• They find buried nuts by smell alone — and the nuts they forget become new oak and hickory trees.
• Several fox squirrels may share one den in winter to conserve warmth.
• The fox squirrel is the only tree squirrel species that makes a living on the Great Plains, fully adapted to wide-open country with scattered trees.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are fox squirrels aggressive?

Fox squirrels are not aggressive toward people. They follow a dominance hierarchy with each other, especially males during breeding season, but they avoid conflict with humans. They may become bold if fed regularly. Like any wild animal, they will defend themselves if cornered or if their young are threatened.

Can fox squirrels be kept as pets?

It is not recommended, and it is illegal in many places without permits. Fox squirrels are wild animals with specific diet, space, and social needs that are hard to meet at home. They have sharp teeth and claws, need large vertical space to climb, and can carry diseases such as leptospirosis and tularemia. Observe them in the wild instead.

Do fox squirrels carry diseases?

Like other wild rodents, fox squirrels can carry fleas, ticks, and occasionally diseases such as leptospirosis or tularemia. Transmission to people is rare and usually requires direct contact or a bite. Pets that catch or sniff around squirrels can pick up parasites, so keep up with your pet's flea and tick prevention. See our article on whether squirrels carry rabies for more.

What is the difference between a fox squirrel and a grey squirrel?

Fox squirrels are larger (nearly twice the weight), have rusty reddish-orange fur instead of grey, spend more time on the ground, and prefer forest edges and open woodland. Grey squirrels are smaller, silver-grey with white bellies, stay mostly in the tree canopy, and prefer dense forest.

Do fox squirrels and grey squirrels interbreed?

Yes, where their ranges overlap. A 2019 study in BMC Evolutionary Biology found that mating between fox and grey squirrels passes a gene variant to offspring that produces black-phase grey squirrels — the same gene linked to the fox squirrel's reddish-brown fur.

Where do fox squirrels nest?

They build leaf nests called dreys in tree forks (usually ~30 feet up) and also use natural tree cavities or old woodpecker holes as dens. Dens are preferred in winter and for raising young.

Why do fox squirrels bury nuts?

They scatter-hoard nuts and seeds in shallow underground caches as a winter food store. They relocate the caches later by smell. Forgotten caches sprout into new trees.

How rare are fox squirrels?

Not rare at all across most of their range — the species is classified as Least Concern with stable populations. Only specific subspecies (like the Delmarva, now recovered) faced endangerment.

Sources

• Fox squirrel — Wikipedia
• Animal Diversity Web: Sciurus niger — University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
• Daily activity and nest occupation patterns of fox squirrels — PLOS ONE
• Delmarva fox squirrel delisting — The Wildlife Society
• Delmarva fox squirrel — Maryland DNR
• Species spotlight: Fox squirrel — Florida Chapter, The Wildlife Society
• Eastern fox squirrel vs. eastern gray squirrel — Forest Preserve District of Will County
• Black squirrels and the fox squirrel gene — BMC Ecology and Evolution