Abert's Squirrel (Sciurus aberti)

Abert's Squirrel. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Photograph by G Dan Hutcheson. Some rights reserved. (view image details)

ABERT'S SQUIRREL FACTS

Description
Abert's squirrel has long and broad ears that have prominent tufts in the winter coat. The tail is short and broad. The fur is mainly gray above with white underparts. It has a black line along the back. Abert's squirrels are diurnal and are active shortly before sunrise and return to their nests before sunset.

Size
Head and body length: 46cm - 58cm. Tail length: 20cm - 26cm

Environment
coniferous forest habitats, especially ponderosa pine

Food
bark, seeds, buds, and flowers of ponderosa pines. Also fungi, carrion, bones.

Breeding
Three or four young are born after a gestation period of 43 days. The young are blind and naked when born, and are weaned at about ten weeks.

Range
Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah in the United States. Also in the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico.

Classification

Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Rodentia
Family:	Sciuridae
Genus:	Sciurus
Species:	aberti
Common Name:	Abert's Squirrel

Relatives in same Genus
  Eastern Gray Squirrel (S. carolinensis)
  Western Gray Squirrel (S. griseus)
  Eastern Fox Squirrel (S. niger)

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