3 Types of Squirrels in Georgia (With Pictures and Identification)

Squirrels in Georgia are straightforward to identify in parks, forests, and even residential areas. Their fast actions, fluffy tails, and playful conduct make them a well-known a part of out of doors life throughout the state. With Georgia’s mixture of pure habitats and suburban progress, squirrels have tailored properly to many environments.

There are three native kinds of squirrels in Georgia: the Japanese Grey Squirrel, the Fox Squirrel, and the Southern Flying Squirrel. Every has its personal dimension, colour, and conduct, making identification each enjoyable and academic. Some are lively throughout the day, whereas others solely come out at evening.

Studying about squirrels in Georgia will help individuals take pleasure in wildlife extra deeply. Watching them glide, leap, or forage is a good way to attach with nature and perceive how these animals reside within the timber and areas round us.

Frequent Squirrels Present in Georgia

Japanese Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

The Japanese Grey Squirrel is probably the most plentiful and widespread squirrel species discovered all through Georgia. Adults usually measure between 9 and 11 inches in physique size, with a further 7.5 to 10 inches for the tail, making them medium-sized tree squirrels. Their fur is predominantly grey with white or pale undersides, although some people can have cinnamon or brownish tones. The fuzzy tail, typically flecked with white, aids in stability and communication. Their giant, darkish eyes and alert expressions give them an look of fixed curiosity.

Japanese Grey Squirrels are diurnal and most lively throughout the early morning and late afternoon. They’re identified for his or her acrobatic actions in timber, simply leaping from department to department and utilizing their sharp claws to grip bark. These squirrels assemble two kinds of nests: leafy dreys constructed excessive in tree branches and cavity nests inside hole timber. Through the chilly winter months or breeding seasons, cavity nests provide higher safety. They usually have two breeding durations per 12 months, in late winter and mid-summer.

Their eating regimen is extremely different and contains nuts (acorns, hickory, beech), seeds, buds, flowers, fruits, mushrooms, bugs, and infrequently fowl eggs. Japanese Grey Squirrels are well-known for his or her caching conduct—they bury nuts within the fall to retrieve them throughout winter. This behavior not solely ensures their survival but in addition aids in forest regeneration, as forgotten seeds typically sprout into new timber. They readily go to yard fowl feeders, the place they eat sunflower seeds, corn, and peanuts, typically turning into a nuisance to fowl fanatics.

In Georgia, Japanese Grey Squirrels inhabit almost all environments with mature timber, together with hardwood forests, metropolis parks, suburban neighborhoods, and school campuses. They’re present in each area of the state, from the mountains within the north to the coastal plains within the south. Their adaptability to each pure and concrete environments has made them a well-known and iconic species to Georgia residents.

Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

The Fox Squirrel is the biggest native tree squirrel in Georgia and is immediately recognizable by its dimension and numerous colour types. Adults usually vary from 10 to 13 inches in physique size, with tails including a further 10 to fifteen inches. Their fur can range considerably in colour, together with grey with black, reddish-brown, orange, and even fully black. In Georgia, the southeastern inhabitants typically shows vivid orange underparts with grizzled grey upperparts, whereas some people could have white noses or ears.

Not like their grey counterparts, Fox Squirrels favor open habitats, reminiscent of pine-oak woodlands, agricultural edges, and sparsely forested areas. They’re typically present in Georgia’s longleaf pine ecosystems and sandy ridge forests. Though succesful climbers, they spend extra time on the bottom than different tree squirrels, transferring intentionally and with a particular bounding gait. They’re solitary and extra cautious round people, typically freezing or hiding when approached.

Fox Squirrels eat a variety of meals gadgets, together with acorns, pine nuts, hickory nuts, seeds, inexperienced shoots, buds, fungi, and infrequently bugs or small vertebrates. Like different squirrels, they cache meals for winter use. They assemble giant nests of leaves and twigs or use hole timber for nesting. Females usually increase one to 2 litters per 12 months, every consisting of two to 4 younger.

In Georgia, Fox Squirrels are mostly discovered within the southern and central components of the state, together with the Coastal Plain and decrease Piedmont. Whereas their populations are wholesome in acceptable habitats, growth and habitat fragmentation have decreased their vary in some city and northern areas. Conservation efforts specializing in longleaf pine restoration profit this species enormously.

Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans)

The Southern Flying Squirrel is the smallest and most nocturnal of Georgia’s squirrel species. Adults are usually 8 to 10 inches in complete size, together with the flattened tail. They weigh between 2 to three ounces, making them light-weight and agile. Their fur is smooth and dense, with gray-brown upperparts, creamy white underparts, and a definite membrane known as a “patagium” that stretches from their wrists to ankles. This adaptation permits them to glide silently between timber.

Not often seen throughout the day, Southern Flying Squirrels are fully nocturnal and use their giant, black eyes to navigate low-light environments. They’re extremely social and should share winter nests in teams of as much as 20 people to preserve heat. These squirrels talk utilizing high-pitched chirps and ultrasonic calls which might be typically past the vary of human listening to. They will glide as much as 100 ft in a single leap, steering with their limbs and tail.

Their eating regimen is numerous and contains acorns, nuts, seeds, berries, bugs, fowl eggs, bark, sap, fungi, and infrequently carrion. Southern Flying Squirrels are opportunistic feeders and retailer meals in tree cavities or nests for leaner months. In residential areas close to woodlands, they might go to fowl feeders, particularly these providing peanut butter or suet. They nest in pure tree cavities, previous woodpecker holes, and also will use nest containers.

Southern Flying Squirrels are discovered all through Georgia in mature deciduous and combined forests, notably these with dense cover cowl and plentiful meals sources. They’re extra frequent than most individuals understand, however their nocturnal life-style retains them hidden from informal statement. Their presence is usually found solely after they take up residence in attics, barns, or birdhouses. Though not endangered, they profit from forest conservation and the preservation of old-growth timber for nesting.

FAQ About Squirrels in Georgia

What kinds of squirrels reside in Georgia?

Georgia is dwelling to a few native squirrel species:

• Japanese Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

• Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)

• Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans)

These species are frequent in forests, suburban neighborhoods, and even city parks throughout the state.

Which squirrel is most typical in Georgia?

The Japanese Grey Squirrel is the commonest and broadly seen squirrel in Georgia. They thrive in each rural woodlands and concrete environments, typically visiting fowl feeders and nesting in timber close to properties.

The place can I see Fox Squirrels in Georgia?

Fox Squirrels favor extra open, pine-dominated habitats and are mostly present in southern and central Georgia, particularly in longleaf pine forests and agricultural edges. They’re bigger and sometimes extra solitary than grey squirrels.

Are flying squirrels present in Georgia?

Sure, the Southern Flying Squirrel is discovered all through Georgia however is nocturnal and barely seen throughout the day. They reside in wooded areas and glide from tree to tree at evening utilizing a particular pores and skin membrane.

Do squirrels hibernate in Georgia?

No, squirrels in Georgia don’t hibernate. They continue to be lively year-round, though they might be much less seen throughout chilly or wet climate. As an alternative of hibernating, they depend on saved meals and well-insulated nests.

What do squirrels eat in Georgia?

Squirrels in Georgia eat all kinds of meals together with acorns, nuts, seeds, fruit, mushrooms, bugs, and even fowl eggs or small animals every now and then. They typically bury nuts within the floor to retrieve later, a conduct known as caching.

Are squirrels lively at evening?

Just one native species in Georgia is lively at evening—the Southern Flying Squirrel. Each the Japanese Grey Squirrel and Fox Squirrel are diurnal, that means they’re lively throughout sunlight hours.

Can squirrels harm properties?

Sure, squirrels—particularly grey and flying squirrels—could enter attics or roof areas, the place they’ll chew wiring, insulation, and wooden. Sealing entry factors and trimming tree limbs away from the roof will help stop this.

Are black squirrels present in Georgia?

Black squirrels are a colour morph of the Japanese Grey Squirrel. Whereas uncommon, melanistic (black) squirrels have been reported in some components of northern Georgia, however they’re much extra frequent within the northern U.S.

Is it authorized to entice or relocate squirrels in Georgia?

In Georgia, it’s unlawful to relocate wildlife, together with squirrels, with out a allow. If a squirrel turns into a nuisance, contact a licensed wildlife management skilled. You can even stop points by sealing entry factors and managing meals sources.