Sciurus niger
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel, is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. It is sometimes mistaken for the American red squirrel or eastern gray squirrel in areas where the species coexist, though they differ in size and coloration.The word Sciurus came from the ancient Greek words skia, meaning shade, and oura, meaning tail. Niger refers to the black coloration.
The fox squirrel's total length measures 20 to 30 in (50.8 to 76.2 cm), with a body length of 10 to 15 in (25.4 to 38.1 cm) and a similar tail length. They range in weight from 1.0 to 2.5 lb (453.6 to 1,134.0 g).The length of its hind foot is 5.1 to 8.2 cm. There is no sexual dimorphism in size or appearance. Individuals tend to be smaller in the West. There are three distinct geographical morphs in coloration. In most areas, the animal's upper body is brown-grey to brown-yellow with a typically brownish-orange underside, while in eastern regions, such as the Appalachians, there are more strikingly-patterned dark brown and black squirrels with white bands on the face and tail. In the South and parts of Nebraska and Iowa... Wikipedia →
Alarm call0:54
United States · 2016
© Chris Harrison · XC1046111 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
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United States · 2026
© Whitmore Pond · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2023
© Shaun Michael · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parque Municipal Summit | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Pueblo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Zoológico y Acuario de Nuevo Laredo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 5 | Big Bear Alpine Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 7 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | California Wildlife Center, Malibu | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Squirrel sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 3,781 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 38 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Fox Squirrel in San Francisco on a given day, against about 20% in May–August and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of San Francisco's driest months, with almost no rain against 110 mm in December.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Fox Squirrel sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 15
Of the 15 cities where we can rate Fox Squirrel sightings, San Francisco ranks 11th at about 30%. The best odds are in Salt Lake City (United States, about 80%), San Antonio (United States, about 70%) and Austin (United States, about 70%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Fox Squirrel is recorded against all the mammals logged in San Francisco (3,781 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
