Small (43 cm / 17 in) rodent with agile front paws, gray-brown fur, and a fluffy tail. Lives in the trees of far western North America.
Diet consists mostly of nuts and seeds like acorns and cones from surrounding trees and plants. Builds large nests of sticks and leaves in trees called “dreys,” which are used for sleeping and raising young. While they spend most of their time in the tree branches, they will descend to the ground to forage for food.
Like other rodents, western gray squirrels have front teeth that grow constantly, up to 15 cm (6 in) per year! To wear down those continually growing teeth, western gray squirrels will gnaw off little branches of pine trees. If you see bits of tree branches on the trail, a squirrel might have chewed them off from the tree above you.
Photo credit: ©Kip Evans
