{"id":114292,"date":"2023-07-11T04:35:14","date_gmt":"2023-07-11T10:35:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=114292"},"modified":"2023-12-06T15:32:20","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T22:32:20","slug":"standing-fox-squirrel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/07\/11\/standing-fox-squirrel\/","title":{"rendered":"Standing Fox Squirrel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This Fox Squirrel was one of the four squirrels my dear friend and wildlife photographer, <a href=\"Life is good. Mia Click here to see more of my Red-shouldered Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Steve Creek<\/span><\/a>, had living in his yard at his home in Arkansas.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload aligncenter wp-image-114285 size-full\" title=\"Standing Fox Squirrel adult\" src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639.jpg\" data-orig-src=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639.jpg\" alt=\"Standing Fox Squirrel adult, Sebastian County, Arkansas\" width=\"900\" height=\"643\" srcset=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%27900%27%20height%3D%27643%27%20viewBox%3D%270%200%20900%20643%27%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%27900%27%20height%3D%27643%27%20fill-opacity%3D%220%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-200x143.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-250x179.jpg 250w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-400x286.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-600x429.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639-800x572.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639.jpg 900w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-orig-sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><span style=\"color: #808080;\">Standing Fox Squirrel adult \u2013 Canon R7, handheld, f8, 1\/1250, ISO 4000, Canon RF 100-500mm at 500m, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n<p>During my visit to Steve&#8217;s home, I had a great time watching the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fox_squirrel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Fox Squirrels<\/span><\/a> in his yard. The squirrels were busy chasing each other, foraging for food, and enjoying sunflower seeds at his bird feeders. The squirrels certainly kept me amused with their antics.<\/p>\n<p>I took quite a few images of the Fox Squirrels I saw in Arkansas. This is the first of many images that I created of them while I was visiting Steve, I just haven&#8217;t had time to edit more of those pictures.<\/p>\n<p>The first time I ever saw a Fox Squirrel was when I lived in North Carolina while I was wandering in the woods of a public area. The Fox Squirrel I saw there was more colorful than the one above, with shades of black, white, and red. At first, I thought I had stumbled upon an escaped exotic animal, but I quickly realized that it was a Fox Squirrel. In some areas of the east this species can be quite striking and colorful.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Fox Squirrel Information:<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Appearance<\/strong>: Fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) are known for their distinctive appearance. They are the largest species of tree squirrels found in North America. They have a relatively long, bushy tail that helps them maintain balance while climbing trees. Their fur coloration can vary greatly, but they often have a reddish or rusty orange color on their back, hence their name &#8220;fox&#8221; squirrels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Range<\/strong>: Fox squirrels are primarily found in North America, ranging from the eastern United States to parts of the central and western regions, including parts of Canada and Mexico. They have been introduced to other areas, such as the United Kingdom and Italy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Arboreal Acrobats<\/strong>: Fox squirrels are highly skilled climbers and spend most of their lives in trees. They have strong hind legs and sharp claws that allow them to easily navigate tree branches. They are known for their agility and can leap between trees with ease.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Omnivorous Diet<\/strong>: While most squirrels primarily feed on nuts and seeds, fox squirrels have a more varied diet. They are considered omnivorous and eat a wide range of food items including acorns, nuts, fruits, berries, fungi, insects, bird eggs, and even small vertebrates like young birds and mice. This adaptable diet helps them thrive in various habitats.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Caching Behavior<\/strong>: Fox squirrels are known for their caching behavior. They collect and store food in numerous locations called caches, which they use as a food reserve during winter or times of scarcity. They have an excellent spatial memory and can remember the locations of hundreds of caches.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Vocalizations<\/strong>: Fox squirrels communicate through various vocalizations. They use high-pitched calls and chatters to alert others of potential danger or to communicate territorial boundaries. Males also make a &#8220;mating call&#8221; during the breeding season to attract females.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nests<\/strong>: Fox squirrels build nests called dreys, typically constructed high in tree branches. Dreys are made from leaves, twigs, and other materials, providing shelter and protection for the squirrels and their young. They may also use tree cavities or abandoned bird nests as their nesting sites.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Diurnal Activity<\/strong>: Fox squirrels are diurnal creatures, which means they are primarily active during daylight hours. They rest and sleep in their nests during the night and become active shortly after sunrise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lifespan<\/strong>: The average lifespan of a fox squirrel in the wild is around 6 to 7 years. However, some individuals have been known to live up to 12 years in favorable conditions with minimal threats.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interaction with Humans<\/strong>: Fox squirrels are generally tolerant of human presence and can be found in urban and suburban areas. They may occasionally cause minor damage by gnawing on wooden structures or raiding bird feeders, but they also serve as seed dispersers, helping with forest regeneration.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These unique characteristics make fox squirrels fascinating creatures and an important part of the ecosystems they inhabit.<\/p>\n<p>I liked this Fox Squirrel&#8217;s pose and curious demeanor and I very much enjoyed photographing it from the comfort of Steve&#8217;s deck with a cup of coffee at hand.<\/p>\n<p>Life <em>is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n<p>Mia<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/mammals\/\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my mammal images. I will be adding more Fox Squirrels to my gallery as time allows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Fox Squirrel was one of the four squirrels my dear friend and wildlife photographer, Steve Creek, had living in his yard at his home in Arkansas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":114285,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,14127,13951],"tags":[4004,14129,3747,1632,14128,165,3826,3827,14132,14133,8018,13966],"class_list":["post-114292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-fox-squirrels","category-sebastian-county","tag-adult","tag-fox-squirrel","tag-grass","tag-mammals","tag-sciurus-niger","tag-spring","tag-squirrel","tag-squirrels","tag-tree-squirrel","tag-tree-squirrels","tag-urban","tag-yard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/fox-squirrel-standing-up-mia-mcpherson-5639.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-tJq","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":139092,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/01\/30\/snowy-fox-squirrel-images-from-arkansas\/","url_meta":{"origin":114292,"position":0},"title":"Snowy Fox Squirrel Images From Arkansas","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"January 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"During the snowstorm earlier this month here in Arkansas, I didn't just photograph birds in the snow, I also took a few photos of Fox Squirrels in the snow too.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arkansas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fox Squirrel running in snow, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/fox-squirrel-snowy-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8703.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/fox-squirrel-snowy-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8703.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/fox-squirrel-snowy-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8703.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/fox-squirrel-snowy-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-8703.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":128359,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/05\/10\/fox-squirrel-drinking-from-a-bird-bath\/","url_meta":{"origin":114292,"position":1},"title":"Fox Squirrel Drinking From A Bird Bath","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"May 10, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I took these photos of a Fox Squirrel when the squirrel came in to enjoy a nice drink of water at my friend Steve's Creek's bird bath in his yard in Arkansas.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arkansas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Fox Squirrel having a drink of water, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/fox-squirrel-adult-drinking-water-mia-mcpherson-2741.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/fox-squirrel-adult-drinking-water-mia-mcpherson-2741.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/fox-squirrel-adult-drinking-water-mia-mcpherson-2741.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/fox-squirrel-adult-drinking-water-mia-mcpherson-2741.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":138343,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/12\/27\/fox-squirrel-getting-ready-to-step-into-the-new-year\/","url_meta":{"origin":114292,"position":2},"title":"Fox Squirrel Getting Ready To Step Into The New Year","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 27, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"When I photographed this Fox Squirrel last week, I liked that he was standing up in nice light. Later, when I viewed the image on my laptop, I had to laugh.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arkansas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Fox Squirrel in morning light, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-winter-poser-mia-mcpherson-1315.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-winter-poser-mia-mcpherson-1315.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-winter-poser-mia-mcpherson-1315.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-winter-poser-mia-mcpherson-1315.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":135783,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/10\/19\/fox-squirrel-gnawing-on-an-antler\/","url_meta":{"origin":114292,"position":3},"title":"Fox Squirrel Gnawing On An Antler","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 19, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"For the first time, I saw, photographed, and filmed a Fox Squirrel gnawing on a deer antler, and it was pretty exciting. The squirrel seemed to love it.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arkansas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fox Squirrel chewing on a deer antler, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/fox-squirrel-gnawing-antler-mia-mcpherson-8943.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/fox-squirrel-gnawing-antler-mia-mcpherson-8943.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/fox-squirrel-gnawing-antler-mia-mcpherson-8943.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/fox-squirrel-gnawing-antler-mia-mcpherson-8943.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137672,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/12\/04\/fox-squirrel-close-up-in-fall\/","url_meta":{"origin":114292,"position":4},"title":"Fox Squirrel Close Up In Fall","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven\u2019t been seeing many squirrels since the temps started dropping below freezing at night. When this Fox Squirrel showed up, I was happy to photograph them.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arkansas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fall Fox Squirrel close up, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-close-up-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-5449.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-close-up-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-5449.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-close-up-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-5449.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/fox-squirrel-close-up-driftwood-mia-mcpherson-5449.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":131743,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2024\/08\/03\/fox-squirrel-eating-acorns\/","url_meta":{"origin":114292,"position":5},"title":"Fox Squirrel Eating Acorns","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"August 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Because of cloudy then scorching hot weather, I didn't get out to photograph yesterday morning. But the day before, I focused on a Fox Squirrel eating acorns.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Arkansas&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Adult Fox Squirrel in an oak tree eating acorns, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fox-squirrel-eating-acorns-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fox-squirrel-eating-acorns-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fox-squirrel-eating-acorns-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/fox-squirrel-eating-acorns-mia-mcpherson-8631.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}