Whether you're nuts about fox squirrels, or not so much, researchers say the pesky, acrobatic and apparently loopier-than-normal rodents are here to stay in Salt Lake City.
A few fox squirrels were introduced to Salt Lake City around 2011. Now, researchers believe there are tens of thousands of them.
Researchers at the Natural History Museum of Utah are curious about how these squirrels, which are native to the eastern U.S., are adapting to life in the Wasatch Front and interacting with — or wreaking havoc on — its residents. The museum isto collect more data on the species so researchers can draw better-informed conclusions, according to Ellen Eiriksson, the museum’s citizen science manager.
Evidence suggests fox squirrels were introduced to the region more than 10 years ago, near the Jordan River, although it’s not clear exactly how, Rickart said. It’s likely someone brought them here. Or they hitched a ride on a railcar from California, Idaho or Montana. Fox squirrels are similar in size to rock squirrels, but rock squirrels are more gray, live mostly on the ground, retreat to holes or burrows when threatened, and have a wispier tail.
This can also happen when the animal isn’t eating food hard enough to grind down its teeth — food these fox squirrels are commonly eating in Salt Lake City’s urban environment, like birdseed or peanuts.
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