Spruce Seed as a Food of Red Squirrels and Flying Squirrels in Interior Alaska

1966 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 503 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Holden Brink ◽  
Frederick C. Dean
Keyword(s):  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Flying Squirrels ◽  
Interior Alaska

Winter Activity of Red Squirrels in Interior Alaska

1958 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 443 ◽  
Author(s):  
William O. Pruitt ◽  
Charles V. Lucier
Keyword(s):  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Winter Activity ◽  
Interior Alaska

scholarly journals Cavity Nest Materials of Northern Flying Squirrels, Glaucomys sabrinus, and North American Red Squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, in a Secondary Hardwood Forest of Southern Ontario

2007 ◽  
Vol 121 (3) ◽  
pp. 303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse E. H. Patterson ◽  
Stephen J. Patterson ◽  
Ray J. Malcolm
Keyword(s):  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus ◽  
Glaucomys Sabrinus ◽  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Flying Squirrels ◽  
Northern Flying Squirrels ◽  
Cavity Nest ◽  
North American Red Squirrels ◽  
Nest Materials

Through deployment of artificial nest boxes, we examined the composition of cavity nest materials used by Northern Flying Squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and North American Red Squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) in a secondary hardwood forest of southern Ontario, Canada. We collected 32 nests of known species association and found that 85.7% of G. sabrinus nests and 77.8% of T. hudsonicus nests were constructed almost entirely of shredded bark from Eastern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis). Mean nest depth across all samples was 12.2 cm and showed no significant difference between species or between spring and summer nests. We review the antiparasitic properties of T. occidentalis and suggest that the use of shredded cedar bark by G. sabrinus and T. hudsonicus to line nest cavities may be a behavioural adaptation, which reduces ectoparasite loads in the nest environment.

scholarly journals Arboreal Squirrel Response to Silvicultural Treatments for Dwarf Mistletoe Control in Northeastern Oregon

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn L. Bull ◽  
Thad W. Heater ◽  
Andrew Youngblood
Keyword(s):  
Red Squirrel ◽  
Total Removal ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Treatment Area ◽  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Flying Squirrels ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Treatment Type ◽  
Northern Flying Squirrels ◽  
Rest Sites

Abstract Various silvicultural treatments are commonly used to sanitize stands by removing trees infected with dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium spp.), yet witches' brooms in trees infected with dwarf mistletoe often provide structures used by many wildlife species. We compared relative abundance, habitat use, and area of use of red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) before and after two different treatments designed to remove a range of dwarf mistletoe-caused witches' brooms in northeastern Oregon in 1998–2002. Dwarf mistletoe sanitation treatments included: (1) an island treatment, with retention of up to 0.5 ha groups of trees containing witches' brooms in evenly distributed uncut islands, and all harvest activity confined to thinning from below outside these islands to eliminate trees containing witches' brooms; and (2) a total removal treatment, which consisted of removing all trees that contained a witches' broom estimated to be >25 cm in diameter. Before treatment, over half of the red squirrels and northern flying squirrels in the treatment area occupied summer rest sites in witches' brooms on large Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). Live trapping indicated a pretreatment abundance of 1.0 per 100 trap/nights for red squirrels and 0.4 per 100 trap/nights for northern flying squirrels, and a posttreatment abundance of 2.1 per 100 trap/nights for red squirrels and 0.2 per 100 trap/nights for northern flying squirrels. Type of rest site and amount of red squirrel reuse did not change after the island treatment, although the number of red squirrels located in rest sites increased with the island treatment. Most of the red squirrel locations occurred within the islands. Area of use by red squirrels did not change with island treatment. Type of rest site used by red squirrels and northern flying squirrels shifted after the total removal treatment from mostly witches' brooms to predominantly tree cavities. Area of use by red squirrels increased from 1.8 to 7.6 ha after the total removal treatment. Results suggest that retention of trees containing witches' brooms in small groups or islands offers an opportunity to retain rest site habitat, although northern flying abundance declined with both treatments. West. J. Appl. For. 19(2): 133–141.

Fungi in the winter diets of northern flying squirrels and red squirrels in the boreal mixedwood forest of northeastern Alberta

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (12) ◽  
pp. 1514-1520 ◽  
Author(s):  
R S Currah ◽  
E A Smreciu ◽  
T Lehesvirta ◽  
M Niemi ◽  
K W Larsen
Keyword(s):  
Tamiasciurus Hudsonicus ◽  
Gut Contents ◽  
Glaucomys Sabrinus ◽  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Faecal Pellets ◽  
Flying Squirrels ◽  
Northern Flying Squirrels ◽  
Unidentified Species ◽  
Winter Diets ◽  
Northeastern Alberta

Gut contents of 138 northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and 75 red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), which had been trapped from November to February in the boreal forest of northeastern Alberta, were examined to determine which fungi were consumed as food during the winter months in this habitat. Spores of epigeous Boletales, Russulaceae, and Cortinariaceae were most frequent and numerous. Hypogeous ascomycetes (unidentified species of Elaphomyces and Tuber) and basidiomycetes (unidentified species of Gautieria, Hymenogaster, Hysterangium, and Rhizopogon) were sometimes present in substantial amounts but were not as frequent as the remains of epigeous fungi. Guts sometimes contained remains of the tough or carbonaceous sporocarps of unidentified species of the Hymenochaetales, Diatrypaceae, Xylariaceae, and Bankeraceae. The spores of some rust fungi (e.g., Phragmidium fusiforme) along with the conidia (e.g., Helicoma sp.) and ascospores of microfungi (e.g., Sordariaceae) were also detected. Lichen tissues were absent, and this contrasts with previous suggestions that lichens are a winter food of sciurids in regions with substantial snowfall. A parallel analysis of 110 faecal pellets from northern flying squirrels collected in the same area from June to August confirms that fungi are important in its summer diet.Key words: Glaucomys sabrinus, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, fungi, mycophagy, Sciuridae.

Seasonal and yearly changes in consumption of hypogeous fungi by northern flying squirrels and red squirrels in old-growth forest, New Brunswick

2004 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Vernes ◽  
Shauna Blois ◽  
Felix Bärlocher
Keyword(s):  
New Brunswick ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Faecal Pellet ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Red Squirrels ◽  
Hypogeous Fungi ◽  
Flying Squirrels ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Northern Flying Squirrels

Seasonal consumption of mycorrhizal fungus by northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) and red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) was examined in old-growth mixedwood forest at Fundy National Park in southern New Brunswick between May 1999 and March 2001. Using faecal pellet analysis, we found that the amount of fungus in the diet of both species was dependent on season and year of study and ranged from 35% to 95%. Twenty fungal taxa, most of them hypogeous Ascomycetes and Basidiomycetes, were detected in diets. More taxa were detected in summer diets compared with all other seasons, but all seasonal samples contained several hypogeous taxa. Up to six taxa were identified in any one sample. Both squirrel species occurred at high densities throughout the study, and dietary overlap between them was great throughout this time in terms of both the amount of fungus and the proportions of different taxa that were consumed. Overall, our data suggest that both G. sabrinus and T. hudsonicus are abundant and important consumers of fungus in the region and that fungus may represent a key food resource, particularly during times when other foods are limited.

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