Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2021 January 12

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January 12

Eastern or Western Grey Squirrel

Hello. I just looked on Commons through the category for Sciurus vulgaris. However, in there I found photos of either an Eastern or Western Grey Squirrel. I initially changed the category to Sciurus carolinensis, however, as the image was taken in the state of Washington, it could also be Sciurus griseus. According to https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/species-facts/tree-squirrels# six squirrels types can be found in Washington: Tamiasciurus douglasii, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, Sciurus griseus, Glaucomys sabrinus, Sciurus carolinensis, Sciurus niger. I just want to correct the categories because it is certainly not Sciurus vulgaris.

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  Images by Joe Mabel on Commons
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There are more images in c:Category:Sciurus vulgaris eating apples. --Christian140 (talk) 07:20, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

If I had to make a guess, I would say it's the eastern Sciurus carolinensis, because of the red fur on the face and haunches. Confirmed pictures of the western Sciurus griseus don't show such red fur; they're entirely shades of gray. A quick google search of "Eastern Gray Squirrel" and "Western Gray Squirrel" will easily confirm.--Jayron32 14:34, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

The wdfw.wa.gov site (linked above) notes that the eastern gray was "introduced in Washington in the early 1900s. Since then they have been repeatedly released in parks, campuses, estates, and residential areas. They are now the most common tree squirrels in urban areas." Since the photos were (per file description) taken "near the Ceramic and Metal Arts Building, University of Washington", I'd go with Sciurus carolinensis, and include a note that the eastern gray is an introduced species. 107.15.157.44 (talk) 16:40, 12 January 2021 (UTC)

The site further describes Eastern Grey Squirrels as: "The upper parts of the Eastern gray squirrel are gray with a reddish wash in summer; its underparts are whitish. It’s about 20 inches long, half of which is its prominent, bushy tail."

And Western: "hey are steel gray on the back, with contrasting white on the belly and throat, resulting in the name, "silver gray squirrel" in some parts of their range. They are distinguished by their very long and bushy tails that are primarily gray with white-frosted outer edges. They also have prominent ears, which can be reddish-brown on the back in winter."

However, there are also these images of Western Grey Squirrels, one comparison, which make them seem very similar to me:

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  Western
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  Eastern and Western

--Christian140 (talk) 15:03, 13 January 2021 (UTC)

Taxidermic specimens may not be the best exemplars, especially when there are thousands upon thousands of available photographs of such squirrels available across the internet that can easily be located. Googling the names shows the differences much more readily than does focusing on a single stuffed specimen or two. It's very easy to tell by comparing images that the OP's pictures are of the eastern, and not western, gray squirrel by doing so. --Jayron32 15:11, 14 January 2021 (UTC)