The Arizona gray squirrel has gray fur on its uppersides and a white to cream belly. It has long ears with no tufts and a fluffy tail edged in white.
It is about 16-20 inches (41-51 cm) in length and weighs 10-16 ounces (283-453 g).
The Arizona gray squirrel lives in deciduous forests with walnut, sycamore, oak, cottonwood, and pine trees.
It is usually found in areas with elevations of 5,000-6,000 feet (1,524-1829 m) above sea level. In New Mexico, it is found in canyons with a water source and lots of black walnuts and acorns.
A large part of the Arizona gray squirrel’s diet is made up of walnuts. It also eats fungi, pine cones, juniper berries, nuts, acorns, berries, and seeds.
When it cuts pine cones to feed on, it carries the whole cone to the trunk of the tree before removing the seeds.
Breeding season runs from April to May. Several males will chase a single female. Gestation lasts about two months. The female has 2-4 babies in a leaf nest in a tree. Baby squirrels are called kits or kittens.
The Arizona gray squirrel has a lifespan of around six years in the wild.
The Arizona gray squirrel is just as likely to flee from a threat by running on the ground as it is to climb a tree. It also will remain completely still when it wants to avoid detection.
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The Arizona gray squirrel lives in canyon bottoms of central Arizona and the in the mountain ranges of southeastern Arizona.
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