Clumsy Squirrel
It made a lot of noise as it ran along the fences between the back gardens behind my place in San Francisco.
It has a pretty short tail so I think maybe it is a ground squirrel rather than a tree squirrel. Also I wonder, is it pregnant?
[ID Discussion] [Another view]
[IMG_2525-squirrel]
Comments and faves
Buckeye. (70 months ago | reply)
Doesn't look like a ground-squirrel to me - plus it doesn't have the barred markings on the back of California ground-squirrel - so... western grey squirrel with a dodgy tail (or could it be a chickaree?? but the colour looks wrong).
Sir Frog (70 months ago | reply)
It's a regular Gray Squirrel that lost part of it's tail to a car or predator. And they are very good at being pregnant. Ground Squirrels have long tails too, but they're not nearly as bushy as the Gray Squirrels. By the way, the Gray Squirrels also come in black.
Tolka Rover (70 months ago | reply)
Well that explains why it was so clumsy and noisy. The poor thing probably finds it hard to balance without its tail.
Sir Frog (70 months ago | reply)
Could be, though the ones in my yard can stampede across the roof so loud you'd think it was something as big as a cat. We had one young one that was so clumsy we didn't think he'd survive to adulthood. He kept falling off tree branches and having to dangle by one paw until he could get a grip. Amazingly enough he made it through the winter and grew out of the awkward stage.
Langooney (70 months ago | reply)
I'd say that the brownish color to the face, legs and flanks, along with the the location in urban San Francisco make a strong case for Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Western usually isn't found in urbanized environments and Easterns have been widely introduced in western cities (though I don't know about SF in particular).
Tolka Rover (70 months ago | reply)
Thanks Langooney for the raising the possibility that this might be an Eastern. I'll remove the "griseus" tag for now.
Some reference did say that the Western was much more shy than the Eastern, so I was a bit puzzled that this squirrel was happily munching her food in full view on top of a fence in the middle of San Francisco.
Not the colour on this picture may not be super accurate. The "[Another view]" link points to another picture with I think more accurate colour reproduction.
Sir Frog (68 months ago | reply)
I had to do more research for my Yosemite photos. It appears Eastern Gray Squirrels have completely taken over the cities of California, and the Western has been pushed to more rural and wilderness areas. Here is a Western Gray Squirrel in Yosemite:
static.flickr.com/113/271671365_94441e2884_o. jpg
jeffdoolittle4 (45 months ago | reply)
Great shot...here is one of my son and a friendly chipmunk