If you’re around the Outer Banks and happen to see a squirrel with funny markings about twice the size of your average furry bird feeder-bandit, North Carolina wildlife officials want to hear from you.
After some recent fox squirrel sightings in Currituck and other areas of the state, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is turning to the public to help confirm the species has moved into those areas.
The fox squirrel is the largest tree squirrel in North Carolina, nearly twice the size of the more common gray squirrel, the commission said in a news release.
“It lives primarily in mature longleaf pine and open pine-oak forests in the sandhills and southern coastal plain,” the release said, but has been verified in western parts of the state where there are open hardwood forests surrounded by pastureland. According to the North Carolina State Parks website, the fox squirrel’s range has primarily been west of the Albemarle Sound.
Fox squirrels look different, too. Though they have a variety of colors including gray, black and rust, those spotted in the coastal plain are usually gray with patches of black on the head and feet and white patches on the nose, paws and ear tips, the commission said. Some are nearly all black with dark gray patches and those in the northwestern part of the state are often tawny with some white patches.
If you see a fox squirrel, state wildlife biologists ask that you take a photo, note the location (GPS coordinates preferred) and contact NC Wildlife Helpline, via email at HWI@ncwildlife.org.
The commission is especially interested in sightings from Currituck, Lincoln, Granville and Madison counties.
