Grey Squirrel

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To begin, the grey squirrel’s existence began in North America, spread across three continents, and could still continue to spread even today. The grey squirrel first originated in two countries in North America. It was found on the west side of the Mississippi River; in the states of Washington, Oregon, California, and Montana. It reached as far north as Canada and claimed residence in the subdivisions of Manitoba, British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Sackatchewan, and Ontario (Fischer, Lawniczak, Pagad). In later years, humans caused this squirrel to be introduced to foreign countries. Between 1876 and 1929, it was unintentionally released to Europe by The London Zoo. People also traveled to northern Italy and brought it over as a pet, where it was then released into the wild (Fischer). As of now, this animal is located in four European countries. These countries are Ireland, Scotland, England, and Italy (Fischer, Lawniczak, Pagad). In the future, the grey squirrel could effortlessly continue to disperse across other countries in Europe. These countries include France and Germany. It is also a threat to Spain and a number of other countries (Fischer). Furthermore, the grey squirrel’s color and size are distinctive traits that separate it from other species. First of all, coloring stays the same when it comes to males and females. Its hue ranges from pale grey to dark grey (Fischer, Lawinczak, Pagad). Its ears, underparts, and tail are all white to pale grey. Ginger-colored fur can be found on this squirrel’s head, hips, feet, and underparts (Lawiczak, Pagad). A natural occurrence among the grey squirrel is melanism, meaning it has an elevated amount of melanin in its pelt (Fischer, Lawinczak, Pa... ... middle of paper ... ...e ability to climb and jump are two other traits that help this mammal survive. Its claws are hard and curved which permits it to scale the tall forest trees; its hindfoot 180 degrees so it can push off and jump incredible distances (Fischer). Works Cited http://www.columbia.edu/itc/cerc/danoff-burg/invasion_bio/inv_spp_summ/Sciurus_carolinensis.htm Fischer, Mary. "Introduced Species Summary Project Grey Squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis)."Columbia.edu. Columbia University, 2 Mar. 2002. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Sciurus_carolinensis/ Lawniczak, Mara K. "Critter Catalog." BioKIDS. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 2002. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=65 Pagad, Shyama. "Sciurus Carolinensis (mammal)." Issg.org. IUCN/SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group (ISSG), 17 Oct. 2005. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

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