Fox+Squirrel

By **Brittany B **




 * The best habitat is mature oak-hickory woodland broken into small, irregulary shaped tracts of 2-8 acres and connected by strips of woodland which serve as squirrel highways. Intermixture of pine, elm ,beech, pecan, maple, and other food-producing trees adds to the attractiveness of the habitat. Along the western parts of their range, fox squirrels are restricted more or less to the river valleys which support pecans, walnuts ,oaks, and other "required" trees. Their home range in Texas is 10-50 acres, its diet is nuts, acorns, insects, fruits, seeds, and blossoms. Its lifespan normally ranges 6-7 years and the record is 18 years. **


 * // Adult fox squirrels are mostly 45.4-49.8 cm long, tail length is 20-33 cm long, they weigh 61-1.23 kg, and they are slightly larger than the native gray squirrel. They have reddish tan hairs interspered with gray on its back, tannish beige fur on its belly, rufous undertail fur, its fluffy tail held mostly curled on its [[image:http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/TMOT1/images/dmap118.jpg width="302" height="305" align="right" caption="http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/TMOT1/images/dmap118.jpg"]]back, and there is ten subspecies left. //**

// The fox squirrel is endangered because today we use logging practices. If we keep using logging practices we will cut down all of their homes. If that happens then they will not have a home to live in and if they are in danger they won't have a home for protection. There is another reason why they will go extinct if we don't stop logging practices. We are not only cutting down their habitat. We are also cutting down their food supply. If we cut down their food supply they will starve, and they won't be able to move to another location for food or shelter. //


 * //__ To keep it from going extinct we must stop logging practices everywhere. The reason why we must stop is because if the population expands and they move north, south, east, or west they won't have enough food, water, or homes for the growing population. They also wouldn't have enough food for their babies as well as themselves. __//**