The Douglas Squirrel (scientific name: Tamiasciurus douglasii) is a small, beautiful tree squirrel that lives in the conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest. It is a member of the Sciuridae Family, the Chordata Phylum, the Rodentia Order, and the Mammalia Class. The Douglas Squirrel is also referred to as the Pine Squirrel, the Chickaree, and Douglas’s Squirrel.
Douglas Squirrels havetawny-orange stomachs, brownish-gray backs, and tawny to white rings around their eyes. During the summer months, they also have a dark line that runs between their abdomens and backs. In the winter months, this line goes away and is replaced by small, dark ear tufts. Additionally, their fur tends to turn slightly grayer in the winter. The Douglas Squirrel is not a large animal by any stretch of the imagination, as they only grow to about 14 inches (37 centimeters) long from head to tail. They have very good hearing and eyesight.
Douglas Squirrels live in the conifer forests of the Pacific Northwest. Their range extends south from British Columbia through Western Washington, Western Oregon, and Northwestern California. They can also be found in the Sierra Nevada region. Douglas Squirrels can be found at all elevations, ranging from sea level to subalpine. Essentially, if there are pine, spruce, hemlock, or fir trees around, there is probably a Douglas Squirrel or two in the area as well.
Douglas Squirrels like to eat the reproductive structures of fungi, such as truffles and mushrooms. Sometimes, they will hang them in what are known as “twig crotches” (1) to be dried and stored for consumption at a later time. The Douglas Squirrel’s affinity for fungi is beneficial for forest health because the spores of the truffles and mushrooms are spread around forests by the squirrel’s feces, where they connect with underground plant roots inlarge mycorrhizal networks (1). These networks provide nourishment to the soil and plants.
In addition to fungi, Douglas Squirrels like to eat conifer seeds. To access the conifer seeds, they strip the outside scales of cones with their incisor teeth, which are very sharp and constantly growing. This process can be done from tree branches or ground perches, which allows them to keep their distance from predators. The Douglas Squirrels’ predators include large Owls, Northern Goshawks, Weasels, Martens, and Bobcats.
While Douglas Squirrels don’t hibernate, they, like many other animal species, do participate in food gathering and storage during the fall. As the leaves change color and the weather turns colder, Douglas Squirrels keep busystockpiling cones and seeds in large quantities.They bury them in tree cavities or moist underground areas known as middens. By storing them in these middens, the nutrition that is provided by the seeds is preserved, allowing the Douglas Squirrel to stay healthy throughout the year. The middens are typically covered in cone scale residue below a squirrel’s favorite eating perch.
Douglas Squirrels tend to be active during the day and sleep at night. They are not fans of bad weather and will stay in their nests when storms are around. Their winter nests are made in tree holes, which makes getting out of the bad weather easy. In the summer, they construct nests of lichen, bark, twigs, and moss, and spend more time outside.
One of the Douglas Squirrel’s most distinctive features is that it is a very social animal. While you might not think that a species as small as the Douglas Squirrel would be very noisy, these squirrels flip that notion on its head. They can be heard routinely chattering around the forest, making rattle calls, chirps, and screeches. These noises are designed to help warn of danger, argue territorial boundaries, and enhance courtship. In the late winter and early spring months, Douglas Squirrels are especially noisy as they partake in a “vocal mating chase” (1) to form monogamous bonds between males and females.
Once monogamous bonds are formed, the gestation process begins. This normally takes five to six weeks. When it is complete, approximately four baby squirrels are born. The young are born without hair. However, they don’t remain hairless for long as their hair grows during their first two weeks of life. The young are also born with their eyes closed. It usually takes a month for their eyes to fully develop and open after birth. The young are typically weaned within three months, but stay with the family for a while longer. If there is enough food available, Douglas Squirrels may produce a second litter of offspring during the summer months.
References
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/douglas-s-squirrel.htm
- http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/douglassquirrel.htm
© Ian D. Caldwell, February 2022