Community Corner
Researcher: Have you Spotted any Gray Squirrels?
Biologist Dan Cooper is working with the Los Angeles Zoo to study the status of the western gray squirrel, a quasi rare, native squirrel, in the foothills area. He's looking for folks who might've seen any of these squirrels in their neighborhoods.
My name is Dan Cooper and I am a biologist working with Jeff Holland, mammal curator at the L.A. Zoo to map and study the range of western gray squirrel in areas south of the San Gabriel Mountains (south of Foothill Boulevard). If you've been to our local mountains or the Sierra Nevada, these are the same squirrels up there.
We're especially interested in knowing if there are any left in the following areas:
• Verdugo Mountains (e.g., , Brand Park)
• San Raphael Hills (e.g., La Canada, incl. )
• San Marino (last seen Kewen Canyon. winter 2010-11, not since)
• Arroyo Seco (south of JPL, such as near archery range, etc.)
• Eastern Santa Monica Mtns. (east of 405 Fwy. away from Griffith Park, e.g. Sherman Oaks).
Grays are "tree squirrels", but are not the ubiquitous eastern fox squirrels, which are *not native* to our area but are very common in urban areas.Fox squirrels are grayish above and sort of buffy below, with distinctly brownish tails.
Gray squirrels are bigger, fatter, solid pale gray above and pure white below, with really bushy, salt-and-pepper tails. Gray squirrels seem to have longer ears, but what you really notice is the "gleaming" white underparts.
Both species build large stick nests in trees, and eastern fox squirrels live in much higher densities than gray squirrels, so if squirrels are common where you live, they are probably fox squirrels. (a third species in our area, the California ground-squirrel, lives in burrows in the ground, and is really a different creature)
Gray squirrels are typically shy and retiring (when not being fed), but occur locally in residential areas. It's these random residential areas - where some of you live - where we especially need info, places like La Cañada south of the 210 Freeway, Altadena away from the mountains., Glendale, etc.
If you've seen gray squirrels in the area, please drop me a line. I can summarize responses if I get any, and will give you credit in the report/publication. Photographs are especially desirable.
Thanks!
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Dan Cooper
Find out what's happening in Montrose-La Crescentawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
About this column: Lots of wildlife traipse between trees in the Angeles National Forest. This column spotlights critters big and small.
