Mexican Fox Squirrel

The Mexican fox squirrel (Sciurus nayaritensis) is a species of tree squirrel found throughout the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico as far south as Jalisco — and northward into the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, U.S. This species, or its subspecies, is sometimes called the Nayarit, Apache, or Chiricahua fox squirrel. It has been evaluated as an IUCN Red List Least Concern species. == Description == === Physical === The Mexican fox squirrel has a grizzled brown back with a yellow to rufous underside, and a charcoal tail frosted with white. Two molts occur each year; the winter pelage is more rufous and the scrotum is often ringed with white. Mass is approximately 700 grams (25 oz). === Behavior === Mexican fox squirrels are diurnal, non-territorial, and do not hibernate during the winter months. Food sources The Mexican fox squirrel forages extensively on the ground and in the forest canopy for tree seeds, flowers, and fungi. Seeds from the cones from pine, Douglas fir, and true firs are extracted by removing individual cone scales. Acorns and walnuts are also eaten when available, along with a variety of other tree seeds, hypogeous and occasionally epigeous fungi, and insects. Mexican fox squirrels…