Squirrels in Arizona

There are tree squirrels and "ground" squirrels. We will start with the tree squirrels, of which there are 4.

The Aberts squirrels are non-native (introduced in 1940). We won't grind that axe here. They are pretty easy to recognize by the tall ear tufts. They are only found in Ponderosa pine forest. They have a bushy pure white tail.

The Arizona grey squirrels are nice to see. They are found south of the Mogollon rim in deciduous forest and riparian areas. They have a long bushy grey tail with white margins and a hidden red or black stripe underneath. They probably ought to be listed as endangered.

Apache fox squirrel (also known as the Chiricahua fox). These are big squirrels with red undersides and fluffy tails. This is the Mexican fox squirrel in the mountains of Mexico.

Mt. Graham Red squirrel -- these are the ones that were the center of controversy and political action up on Mt. Graham in the Pinaleno mountains east of Tucson. They are found at high elevations in spruce forest, and are actually grey or olive in color. These are also called "chicaree"s. You will only find these up on Mt. Graham.

In desert areas we have the common Rock Squirrel.

There is also the Harris Antelope squirrel found out on the flats.