Mount Graham red squirrel

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Mount Graham red squirrel

ESA)[1]

Critically Imperiled  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Sciuridae
Genus: Tamiasciurus
Species:
T. fremonti
Subspecies:
T. f. grahamensis
Trinomial name
Tamiasciurus fremonti grahamensis
(J. A. Allen, 1894)
Synonyms

Tamasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis

The Mount Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti grahamensis) is an endangered subspecies of the

fungi
. It exhibits similar behavior to other squirrels in its species.

Description

Physical

The Mount Graham red squirrel is a generally tiny squirrel weighing on average around 8 ounces (230 g) and measuring about 8 inches (20 cm) in length.[1] The subspecies also has a 6 inches (15 cm) tail.[1] Unlike most other squirrels in its species, the squirrels do not have a white-fringed tail.[1] Both females and males share similar markings and features and are typically grayish brown in color with rusty yellow or orange markings on their backside.[1] During the winter season, the squirrels ears are tufted with fur, and during the summer a black lateral line is observed on the squirrel.[1][4] The skull of the subspecies is rounded and its teeth are low-crowned.[4]

Behavior

Mount Graham red squirrels behave in a manner similar to most other subspecies of American red squirrel. They are

fungi.[6]

Habitat

Historically, the Mount Graham red squirrel inhabited about 11,750 acres (47.6 km2) of spruce-fir, mixed-conifer and ecotone zone habitats that were generally at higher elevations throughout the Pinaleño Mountains.[6] Recent data shows that it occurs more frequently at the ecotone zone than the other habitats.[6] When choosing a potential nesting site, the squirrels typically pick a cool, moist area with an abundance of food sources.[6] Drought, forest fires, and insect infestation have been responsible for a decrease of the squirrel in the spruce-fir habitat.[6]

Conservation

The Mount Graham subspecies was believed to be extinct in the 1950s, but was "rediscovered" in the 1970s.[7] After its rediscovery, it was suggested for

Endangered Species Act in 1982.[8]
On May 21, 1986, the subspecies was officially recommended to become an endangered species, and on June 3, 1987, was officially listed as endangered.[1][9] The
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated most of this area as a refuge, and access to the area is granted only with a special permit.[7]
A lightning strike on June 7, 2017, started a wildfire that could have led to the extinction of this subspecies.[10]

In September 2019, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service agreed to consider if the squirrel needed further protection. They were petitioned under a procedure of the Endangered Species Act by a group that contends it is necessary to remove the observatory and other private structures.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Mount Graham Red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis)". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  2. ^ "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  3. ^ "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. Retrieved 2021-09-11.
  4. ^ a b Fitzpatrick, Lesley; Genice Froehlich; Terry Johnson; Randall Smith; Barry Spicer (May 3, 1993). "Mount Graham red squirrel" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  5. ^ "The Natural History of the Mount Graham Red Squirrel". The University of Arizona. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Mount Graham Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis) 5-Year Review: Summary and Evaluation" (PDF). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Arizona Ecological Services Field Office Phoenix, Arizona. January 2008. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  7. ^ a b c d "The Mt. Graham Red Squirrel Research Program Project History". The University of Arizona. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Review of Vertebrate Wildlife for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species" (PDF). Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. December 30, 1982. Retrieved 10 April 2010.
  9. ^ "50 CFR Part 17" (PDF). Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. May 21, 1986. Retrieved April 10, 2010.
  10. ^ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (October 25, 2017). "For an Endangered Animal, a Fire or Hurricane Can Mean the End". New York Times.
  11. ^ "US officials to consider protections for endangered Arizona squirrel". KTAR News. September 5, 2019. Archived from the original on 2019-09-10. Retrieved September 8, 2019.

External links

Wikispecies has information related to Tamiasciurus hudsonicus grahamensis.
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