Sciurus aberti

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

The principal habitat of Abert’s squirrels is the ponderosa pine forest ; nearly all large stands of ponderosas support them. The squirrels live, nest , feed and seek refuge from enemies in these trees . Abert’s squirrels are found also in mixed coniferous forest where humans may have introduced them.[1]

Ecology: This species is strongly dependent on ponderosa and yellow pine forest habitat , with some use of adjoining pinyon woodlands and mixed coniferous forests.[2].

List of Habitats:

•     1     Forest   
  
•     1.4     Forest - Temperate   
[more info]

Biology

Diet

Ponderosa pines provide much of the diet ; seeds, buds, inner bark and the male cones are all eaten. A litter of clipped ponderosa pine debris on the ground may signal squirrels feeding above. Fungi are eaten extensively throughout the summer, and when available throughout the rest of the year. These provide an important source of moisture. Abert’s squirrels will also eat mistletoe, acorns , insects, carrion and occasional pieces of shrubs and grasses. They gnaw bones and antlers for the mineral content.[1]

Unlike many of their relatives, Abert’s squirrels do not store large caches of food in the nest , though they may bury single pinecones. This behavior helps San Juan Rio Arriba Taos Colfax Union Harding Mora San Miguel Quay Guadalupe Curry Santa Fe Los Alamos Torrance Valencia Bernalillo McKinley Cibola Catron Socorro Lincoln Sierra Grant Luna Dona Aña Otero Hidalgo Eddy Lea Chaves Roosevelt De Baca Sandoval Range of Abert’s Squirrel disperse pine seeds through the forest . The main factor regulating Abert’s squirrel populations may be the availability of food. Numbers may fluctuate widely over the years, dwindling when pinecones are scarce.[1]

Reproduction

Abert’s squirrels mate from early spring to early summer. Small groups of males may pursue single females through the trees for hours at a time. Females can breed twice in good years. Young are born in June and early July after a gestation of about 40 days. A litter consists of two to five hairless and blind young. The young are about 2 1/2 inches long and weigh less than half an ounce . At about seven weeks, they have hair, their eyes are open and they may begin short ventures away from the nest .[1]

Behavior

Abert’s squirrels are active between sunrise and sunset all year long. They may bark when excited, but are usually rather quiet. They are less boisterous than are their chickaree (red squirrel) relatives. At night and in bad weather they retire to their nests . They build these nests in the crotch of a branch or in a witch’s broom , a dense growth of small branches stimulated by mistletoe infection . Squirrels carry cut twigs to the nest site, tamp them into place with their forefeet and line them with shredded dry grass , bark, or shredded paper or cloth cast off by humans. Nests are found from 16 to 90 feet above the ground , usually on the south side of trees . The outside diameter of nests is about 1 1/2 feet; the inside chambers about 6 inches.[1]

Abert’s squirrels are not known to defend territories. Home ranges of this species are large, averaging nearly 20 acres .[1]

Although Abert’s squirrels do not hibernate, they may sleep through periods of sustained cold. As soon as the temperature heats up, they Wildlife Notes is published by the Department of Game and Fish. If you are interested in obtaining additional copies, please send your request to: Conservation Education Section Department of Game and Fish PO Box 25112 Santa Fe, NM 87504 (505) 476-8000 will resume foraging . On winter mornings, Abert’s squirrels may spend some time sunning on exposed limbs before becoming active. After bouts of vigorous activity, they tend to rest in the shade in a prostrate position for more rapid heat loss. They may also hide by flattening themselves horizontally atop branches so they cannot be seen from below. On windy days, they tend not to forage . Perhaps wind masks the sound of approaching predators .[1]

Predators:

Hawks are the most important predators of Abert’s squirrels. Other predators include automobiles, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, and domestic and feral dogs and cats. Squirrels are vulnerable to house cats when they are on the ground ; this is especially true for young squirrels.[1]

Taxonomy

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 08-Jun-2004

Similar Species

Members of the genus Sciurus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 41 species and subspecies in this genus:

S. aberti (Tassle-Eared Squirrel) · S. aberti kaibabensis (Kaibab Squirrel) · S. aberti mimus (Abert's Squirrel) · S. aberti subsp. aberti (Abert's Squirrel) · S. aestuans (Guianan Squirrel) · S. alleni (Allen's Squirrel) · S. anomalus (Caucasian Squirrel) · S. arizonensis (Arizona Gray Squirrel) · S. arizonensis arizonensis (Arizona Gray Squirrel) · S. aureogaster (Bushy-Tailed Olingo) · S. aureogaster aureogaster (Mexican Gray Squirrel) · S. carolinensis (Eastern Grey Squirrel) · S. colliaei (Collie's Squirrel) · S. deppei (Deppe's Squirrel) · S. flammifer (Venezuelan Squirrel) · S. gilvigularis (Yellow-Throated Squirrel) · S. granatensis (Red-Tailed Squirrel) · S. griseus (Western Gray Squirrel) · S. griseus griseus (Western Gray Squirrel) · S. ignitus (Bolivian Squirrel) · S. igniventris (Northern Amazon Red Squirrel) · S. lis (Japanese Squirrel) · S. nayaritensis (Mexican Fox Squirrel) · S. nayaritensis chiricahuae (Chiricahua Squirrel) · S. niger (Bryant's Fox Squirrel) · S. niger avicennia (Big Cypress Fox Squirrel) · S. niger cinereus (Bryant's Fox Squirrel) · S. niger niger (Fox Squirrel) · S. niger shermani (Sherman's Fox Squirrel) · S. niger vulpinus (Eastern Fox Squirrel) · S. oculatus (Peters's Squirrel) · S. pucheranii (Colombian Squirrel) · S. pyrrhinus (Jun?n Red Squirrel) · S. richmondi (Richmond's Squirrel) · S. sanborni (Sanborn's Squirrel) · S. spadiceus (Southern Amazon Red Squirrel) · S. stramineus (Guayaquil Squirrel) · S. variegatoides (Variegated Squirrel) · S. vulgaris (Eurasian Red Squirrel) · S. vulgaris russus (Eurasian Red Squirrel) · S. yucatanensis (Yucatan Squirrel)

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Further Reading

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• A list of the generic and family names of rodents / by T.S. Palmer. Washington: Biological Society of Washington, 1897. url p. 267.
• A list of the land and sea mammals of North America north of Mexico. Supplement to the synopsis. By D.G. Elliot. 2 1901 Chicago, 1901. url p. 486.
• A manual of land and fresh water vertebrate animals of the United States (exclusive of birds) by Henry Sherring Pratt. .. Philadelphia, P. Blakiston's Son & Co., inc.[c1935] url p. 385, p. 395, p. 403.
• Animal Ecology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J., Prentice-Hall, 1961. url p. 464.
• Animate creation: popular edition of "Our living world": a natural history / by the Rev. J.G. Wood. New York: Selmar Hess, c1898. url p. 493.
• Animate creation; popular edition of "Our living world" a natural history, by the Rev. J. G. Wood. Revised and adapted to American zoology, by Joseph B. Holder. .. New York, S. Hess[c1885] url p. 493.
• Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, -1965. url p. 115, p. 121, p. 261, p. 261, p. 389, p. 558, p. 559, p. 83, p. 95.
• Audubon and his journals by Maria R. Audubon; with zoölogical and other notes by Elliott Coues. New York: C. Scribner, 1897. url .
• Audubon and his journals, London, Nimmo, 1898. url , .
• Audubon and his journals, New York, C. Scribner, 1897. url .
• Audubon and his journals, by Maria R. Audubon, with zoölogical and other notes by Elliott Coues. .. New York, C. Scribner's Sons, 1899. url p. 70.
• Audubon the naturalist; a history of his life and time, by Francis Hobart Herrick. .. London, D. Appleton and Company, 1917. url p. 4.
• Audubon, the naturalist; a history of his life and time, by Francis Hobart Herrick. New York, Appleton[c1917] url p. 4.
• Aus dem reiche der pelze. bd. I: Geschichte des rauchwarenhandels. bd. II: Naturgeschichte der pelztiere. Von Emil Brass. Berlin, Im verlage der Neuen pelzwaren-zeitung[pref. 1911] url , .
• Biosphere Reserves, Compilation 4, October 1986: programme on man and the biosphere (MAB) IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre url p. 528.
• Birds and nature. Chicago, Ill.: A.W. Mumford, Publisher, 1900-1907. url p. 228, p. 229.
• Birds; a miscellaneous collection of 37 pamphlets about birds. Collected and privately bound by Alvin Seale, 1914. v.p., 1910-1913 url p. 34, p. 38.
• Brigham Young University science bulletin. 8 1966 Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University, [1955-1976] url p. 27, fig. 5, page 51, p. 55, p. 65, p. 73.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url , p. 182, p. 184, p. 224, p. 249, p. 249, p. 250, p. 250, p. 325, p. 333, p. 334, p. 551, p. 574, p. 870.
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• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 130 1963 Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 115, p. 250.
• Bulletin of the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories / Department of the Interior. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1874- url p. 880, p. 905.
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• Field book of North American mammals; descriptions of every mammal known north of the Rio Grande, together with brief accounts of habits, geographical ranges, etc., by H. E. Anthony. .. with 32 coloured plates and 175 photographs, pen-and-ink sketches and maps. New York, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1928. url p. 256.
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• Index generum mammalium: a list of the genera and families of mammals. By T. S. Palmer. .. Washington, Govt. Print. Off., 1904. url p. 455, p. 489.
• List of North American land mammals in the United States National Museum, 1911; by Gerrit S. Miller, jr. Washington, Govt. print. off., 1912. url p. 325, p. 333, p. 334.
• Mammals of America; technical editor, H. E. Anthony. .. artists, Carl Rungius, Belmore Browne, George A. King. .. New York, The University Society, inc.[c1917] url p. 174.
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• Mammals of the Mexican boundary of the United States: a descriptive catalogue of the species of mammals occurring in that region; with a general summary of the natural history, and a list of trees / Washington: Govt. Print. Off., 1907. url , , .
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• Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. 1965 Lawrence: University of Kansas, 1946-1996. url p. 8, p. 8.
• Monograph of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. Lawrence, Kan.: The Museum. url , p. 141, p. 142, p. 143, p. 323, p. 328, p. 332, p. 354, p. 357, p. 359, p. 405, p. 406, p. 412, p. 96.
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• Monographs of North American rodentia by Elliott Coues and Joel Asaph Allen. Washington: G.P.O., 1877. url , .
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Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 11, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 8 providers.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.
• Linzey, A.V. 2008. Sciurus aberti. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 04February2012.
• New Mexico Wildlife. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Version of April 24, 2009.
• Rodent Specialist Group 1996. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 20, 2008.
• Rodent Specialist Group 1996. Sciurus aberti. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org . Downloaded on 21 October 2006.
• Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal March 11, 2008:

• Burke Museum: Mammal Specimens
• Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History: Vertebrate specimens
• Marine Science Institute, UCSB: Paleobiology Database
• Michigan State University Museum: Vertebrate specimens
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology: Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• Sternberg Museum of Natural History: Mammal Collection
• University of Alaska Museum of the North: MSB Mammals Specimens
• University of Alaska Museum of the North: UAM Mammals Specimens
• Utah Museum of Natural History: Mammal specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 109352
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-180173
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 180173
• IUCN ID: 241409
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: AMAFB07030
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 16707

Footnotes

1. New Mexico Wildlife. New Mexico Department of Game and Fish Version of April 24, 2009. [back]
2. Linzey, A.V. 2008. Sciurus aberti. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 February 2012. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.