Measurement and Characteristics of Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger rufiventer, Home Ranges

The response of tree squirrels to fragmentation: a review and synthesis

“…Home-range sizes of all species (Sciurus carolinensis, n = 11; S. niger, n = 9; S. vulgaris, n = 12) were positively related to woodlot size for both males (F 1,33 = 37.90, P < 0.0001, R 2 = 0.542) and females Williams, 1936;Baumgartner, 1939Baumgartner, , 1943Moore, 1957;Flyger, 1960;Brink, 1964;Cordes, 1965;Taylor, 1966;Smith, 1967;Wood, 1967;Mosby, 1969;Barkalow, Hamilton & Soots, 1970;Geeslin, 1970;Kemp & Keith, 1970;Cordes & Barkalow, 1972;Silva, 1972;Erossy, 1973;McCloskey, 1975;Adams, 1976;Whitehead, 1976;Fancy, 1981;Manski, Van Druff & Flyger, 1981;Nixon, Havera & Hansen, 1984;Herkert, 1985;Koprowski, 1985;Wauters & Dhondt, 1985Sullivan & Moses, 1986;Weigl et al, 1989;Kantola & Humphrey, 1990;Andren & Delin, 1994;Wauters et al, 1994aWauters et al, ,b, 2001Shuttleworth, 1996;Halliwell, 1997;Münch, 1998;Delin & Andren, 1999;Smith, 1999;Cagnin et al, 2000;Cartmel, 2000;Magris & Gurnell, 2002. (F 1,33 = 36.43, P < 0.0001, R 2 = 0.532...…”

“…Previous researchers have noted similar relationships in tree squirrels while working in local areas. Home Robinson & McCowan, 1954;Flyger, 1960;Cordes, 1965;Taylor, 1966;Geeslin, 1970;Cordes & Barkalow, 1972;Silva, 1972;Erossy, 1973;Doebel & McGinnes, 1974;McCloskey, 1975;Adams, 1976;Benson, 1980;Wauters & Dhondt, 1985Weigl et al, 1989;Kantola & Humphrey, 1990;Andren & Delin, 1994;Wauters et al, 1994aWauters et al, , 2001Sheperd & Swihart, 1995;Shuttleworth, 1996;Halliwell, 1997;Münch, 1998;Smith, 1999;Cartmel, 2000;Conner, 2000;Nupp & Swihart, 2000. ranges of fox squirrels (Baumgartner, 1943) and eastern grey squirrels (Erossy, 1973) were suggested to be positively related to woodlot size. Empirical support for this was found in fragmented forests in agricultural regions of Indiana (Sheperd & Swihart, 1995).…”

Spatial dynamics of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in fragmented landscapes

“…We cannot rule out large-scale movements by 3 squirrels whose fates were unknown, but the intensity of our monitoring and searching programs led us to conclude that such movements were unlikely to have occurred. Although adult squirrels are capable of moving > 1 krn on occasion (Baumgartner 1943;Adams 1976), most dispersal involves juveniles and subadults (Nixon et al 1974(Nixon et al , 1986Delong 1986). Adams (1976) found that subadults exhibited the largest home ranges, and he attributed this to investigative behavior, possibly in preparation for dispersal.…”

“…Although adult squirrels are capable of moving > 1 krn on occasion (Baumgartner 1943;Adams 1976), most dispersal involves juveniles and subadults (Nixon et al 1974(Nixon et al , 1986Delong 1986). Adams (1976) found that subadults exhibited the largest home ranges, and he attributed this to investigative behavior, possibly in preparation for dispersal. Nonetheless, he noted that most dispersal was within a woodlot.…”

“…Although available evidence suggests that fragmentation should not negatively impact fox squirrels, previous research has not examined the spatial aspects of fox squirrel ecology from a landscape perspective. In addition, previous research on spatial dynamics of fox squirrels has been restricted to one or two study sites Benson 1980;Hansen and Nixon 1985;Koprowski 1991), has been limited in terms of numbers of observations per animal because of constraints imposed by trapping and field observations, or has dealt with a small number of squirrels (Adams 1973(Adams , 1976Benson 1980;Armitage and Harris 1982). Moreover, analysis of spatial interactions has focused principally on interspecific interactions of fox squirrels and gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis); we are unaware of any studies examining intraspecific changes in spatial interactions associated with fragmentation in an agricultural landscape.…”