Essay On Eastern Grey Squirrel

Did you know there are over 265 species of squirrels around the world? Eastern grey squirrels are part of the rodent family and part of the tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus. Their scientific name is Sciurus carolinensis. Eastern grey squirrels have evolved and changed over time due to the environment and humans.

Squirrels have been around for about 40 million years. The very first fossil record of squirrels state that “they originated in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly North America, around 36 million years ago. The fossil of the earliest recorded squirrel, Douglassciurus jeffersoni, ranges from approximately 37.5 to 35 million years ago” (Steppan an Hamm). However, recently a new fossil of the Euharamiyida group, which looked very similar to

These squirrels eat seeds and sometimes drop them while hunting. They help dispense the seeds and grow trees all over the forest. They are also host to many parasites like fleas, ticks, mites, and roundworms. These parasites are not necessarily life threatening to the eastern grey squirrels, however, the diseases they contract will cause a weaker immune system and have a higher chance of them dying. The eastern grey squirrels also have many predators. The main predators of the eastern grey squirrel include northern goshawks, red-tailed hawks, and broad-winged hawks.

Humans are considered the most dangerous predators of the eastern grey squirrel. Humans kill eastern grey squirrels and use them for food and their fur. It is also said that humans kill squirrels for fun. Many parts of the U.S that squirrels live, hunting is done for fun. Thousands of squirrels are also killed daily by cars every single day. This means more than 41 million squirrels are killed a year. In some states, eastern grey squirrels are economically important “such as Mississippi where 2.5 million are harvested each year with an economic impact of 12.5 million dollars” (Animal