Appearance

Douglas squirrels have grey fur, a dark reddish brown tail and orange on their belly. They also have orange rings around their eyes, and black tufts on their ears. They grow to about 15 centimetres long.

Range & Habitat

These squirrels are found all along the coast from California to southern B.C. They mostly like damp forests, but will sometimes come into areas where people live. In B.C., this animal is found in the Georgia Depression ecoprovince.

Diet & Behaviour

Douglas squirrels love to eat conifer cones, which they bite off from the tree, let fall to the ground, and then collect later. They store all the cones under tree stumps or fallen logs. They also eat acorns, fruits and mushrooms. They are very noisy squirrels and can chatter, squeak, scold and make a sound that sounds almost like a dog barking. Squirrels are very territorial, and defend their trees against other squirrels.

Lifecycle & Threats

They nest in old hollow trees, but will sometimes build a den in an old bird’s nest. They mate in April and give birth to an average of four tiny, pink young a month later. These newborns stay with their mom for two months, then leave to build their own dens.

Status

COSEWIC: Not at Risk
CDC: Yellow

More Information

Visit this online interactive learning tool, Seeing Through Watchers’ Eyes, to learn the SENĆOŦEN name and other stories about this being! We recommend a desktop computer or laptop for ideal viewing. 

• Simply open the link here: https://sierraclub.bc.ca/watcherseyes/ 
• Scroll down to the Prezi 
• Click “present” 
• And move your cursor to point 136 along the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen 

http://www.bear-tracker.com/dsquirel.html

Photo: Royal BC Museum