User:Ecogirly2001/Sherman's fox squirrel

Description:
In comparison to other fox squirrels, this subspecies is large (23 - 28 in. = 600 – 700 mm) with highly variable dorsal fur color ranging from nearly all black (uncommon) to silver, with variations of black over silver and silver over black. The underside is tan, while the head is generally black; the ears and muzzle are often white. The tail is long, nearly the length of the head and torso. '''The Fox squirrel is generally found to be slightly larger than the more common Eastern Gray Squirrel, and usually a lot slower in speed. This subspecies does not exhibit any sexual dimorphism between the males and females.'''

Diet
'''Their diet is consistent with that of most Fox Squirrels; with this subspecies’ diet mostly consisting of acorns of live oaks. Their diet could also include mast, insects, tree buds, bulbs, roots, bird eggs, and more depending on seasonality.'''

Habitat
Nests are usually in oak trees and are constructed of oak leaves and Spanish moss. Most nesting occurs in winter seasons '''. Males usually exhibit a larger habitat range due to breeding season travel. Dwindling resources, and decreasing habitat availability is partly to blame for the recently increased home ranges. They usually inhabit areas with a high concentration of longleaf pines, and show preference for areas with low woody cover . This indicates that they thrive in environments featuring frequent disturbances, such as controlled burns . This is a prevalent feature of properly conserved longleaf pine ecosystems.'''

Conservation:
'''Sherman’s fox squirrels rely heavily on the longleaf pine savanna ecosystem that is found in southern Georgia and northern Florida, in which the ecosystem has been a hot topic within conservation research. These squirrels are seen as somewhat of an obligate species of the longleaf pine . However, in the midst of attempting to conserve both the longleaf pine ecosystem and the populations of this subspecies that utilizes them, it was found that the populations of Sherman’s fox squirrels were declining as they cleared out hardwood trees . The clearing of hardwood trees has been a common practice in the revitalization of longleaf pines in the southeast United States. The ideal distribution of longleaf pine to hardwood tree is 88.2% to 11.8% for the populations of Sherman’s fox squirrels to thrive . It is recommended that conservationists maintain the survival of singular mature hardwood trees, as well as some patches within a longleaf pine forest in order to maximize the survival of these squirrels .' The conservation of the longleaf Sherman's fox squirrel was once designated as a species of special concern in Florida but, due to their resiliency "to habitat modification" and their wider distribution as part of S. n. niger'', the status was dropped. '''However, with the endemicity of this subspecies, it is important to consider their population growth rates in tandem with other conservation efforts within the Southeast U.S.. Additionally, with increasing climate change Sherman’s fox squirrels are at an immediate disadvantage .' The other fox squirrel subspecies in Florida is the mangrove or Big Cypress fox squirrel (Sciurus niger avicennia''), which lives southwest of Lake Okeechobee. This subspecies is also facing issues with habitat degradation in forested wetlands .