Facts
- Natural habitat is oak and walnut woodlands
- Range is from southern California to Washington, east to Nevada
- Native in southern California near or in local mountain ranges
- Also found in some of the less disturbed open areas that remain in the Los Angeles area
- Adult size up to 2 feet long, tail up to 1 foot long
- Long, bushy tail with bands of gray, white, and black
- Mainly eat pine nuts, acorns, and pine cones; will also eat buds, fungi, insects, and fruit
- Will bury acorns in the ground in summer, to dig up for food in winter
- Spend much of their time gathering and eating food, especially in preparation for winter
- Do not hibernate, but will put on weight and thicken their fur in anticipation of the cold
- Make nests of shredded bark and sticks called "drays" at least 20 feet high in trees
- Will often build more than one nest and alternate among them
- Breeding occurs in January-May with about 3-5 young in one litter in March-June
- In late summer, will make hoarse barking calls
- Generally non-territorial and shy, with the exception of lactating mothers
People and Western Gray Squirrels
- Once considered one of the most abundant mammals in the west in the 1920's, but mange, competition, and habitat loss have decimated many populations
- While eastern gray and eastern fox squirrels produce more offspring in times of abundance to compensate for population loss in lean times, the western gray appears unable to, which limits its ability to rebound from low populations.
- Western grays appear to be less tolerant of people and development than their eastern cousins.
- Western grays are a federal Species of Concern, but aren't listed as threatened or endangered.
- The Forest Service considers western grays a "sensitive" species and a "management indicator species" in oak and pine forests
- People hunt western grays in California and Oregon.
- Conservation groups in Washington state have petitioned the federal government to provide an emergency listing for this species
How to Coexist
- Don't trim trees in the spring, wait until fall to trim to avoid disturbing nests and babies. Check for nests before trimming trees.
- Don't feed squirrels, keep birdseed off the ground
