Grey Squirrels

[ambitious_wench]

artemii recently posted the following information in her friends-only locked journal. I have obtained permission to post it here for the benefit of other squirrel authors.

grey squirrel society

grey squirrels are not antisocial like was so long believed. to the contrary, female grey squirrels have communal nests based primarily on familial relationships. the most common ones are sisters and a mother and daughter(s). these nests tend to remain stable in membership, the only change being when one temporarily leaves to raise a litter, after which she returns. 15 minutes before sunset they make their way to the nest, usually through the tree canopy, and following such a close pattern that nestmates often use the very same branches to reach it. when another member reaches the nest, she puts her face just barely into it and is greeted physically by the members who are already present. sometimes they will come out of the nest and they will engage in group grooming. by sunset they are all inside the nest, where they remain until sunrise. at sunrise they repeat the process in reverse, and by fifteen minutes after sunrise they have dispersed, during the day acting like they don't even know each other. in addition to these familial nests, female children are more likely to end up with territories quite close to their mother's if they are not sharing a nest.

male grey squirrel relationships tend to be less communal; they usually only nest together on extremely cold winter nights, and then only for the duration of the night.

males tend to be dominant when it comes to things like food sources, yet the entire social dynamic of an area's grey squirrel population is dependent upon the ranking female. it is when she is removed somehow (death, trapping + removal, etc.) that the squirrel population's territories and hierarchy tend to change dramatically. female grey squirrels can live to be 13-14 years old in the wild, males usually 8-9. fighting amongst grey squirrels tends to be only amongst members of the same sex. in fact, except for a brief time during the breeding season, male and female grey squirrels generally live quite separate lives.

[grey squirrels are the most common tree squirrel in the eastern half of north america.]

I wonder if Moxie knows this information.