CreatureData

Fox squirrel

Sciurus niger Linnaeus, 1758

LCLeast Concernrodents

The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) is a species in the family Sciuridae, order Rodentia. Recorded adults weigh 761.9 g to 803.7 g and live up to 14.9 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)
Photo: Markus Krötzsch · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the fox squirrel

Weight
761.9 g – 803.7 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
14.9 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Herbivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
16 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
44.3 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
11.6 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.64src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
By day (diurnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the fox squirrel live?

Not recorded

What is the fox squirrel?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel, is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. It is sometimes mistaken for the American red squirrel or eastern gray squirrel in areas where the species coexist, though they differ in size and coloration. The word Sciurus came from the ancient Greek words skia, meaning shade, and oura, meaning tail. Niger refers to the black coloration.

From the Wikipedia article “Fox squirrel” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fox_squirrel&oldid=1383818710), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the fox squirrel endangered?

The fox squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the fox squirrel classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderRodentia
  5. familySciuridae
  6. genusSciurus
  7. SpeciesSciurus niger Linnaeus, 1758
Other names and names in other languages (39)
  • American fox squirrelEnglish
  • Bryant's fox squirrelEnglish
  • Bryant's fox squirrelEnglish
  • Cat-squirrelEnglish
  • Delmarva fox squirrelEnglish
  • Delmarva fox squirrelEnglish
  • Eastern fox squirrelEnglish
  • Eastern fox squirrelEnglish
  • Eastern fox squirrelEnglish
  • IpɬolaanaAlabama
  • سنجاب ثعلبيArabic
  • Gwiñver gellrousBreton
  • ᏌᎶᎵ ᏬᏗCherokee
  • veverka liščíCzech
  • RæveegernDanish
  • FuchshörnchenGerman
  • ΑλεπωσκίουροςGreek
  • Ardilla zorraSpanish
  • Ardilla zorro orientalSpanish
  • iso-oravaFinnish
  • écureuil fauveFrench
  • סנאי שועליHebrew
  • amerikai rókamókusHungarian
  • Scoiattolo volpeItalian
  • トウブキツネリスJapanese
  • LapsuvāvereLatvian
  • Zwarte eekhoornDutch
  • Amerikaanse voseekhoornDutch
  • reveekornNorwegian Nynorsk
  • misajidamooOjibwa
  • Wiewiórka czarnaPolish
  • Esquilo-raposaPortuguese
  • Лисья белкаRussian
  • Чёрная белкаRussian
  • лисичја веверицаSerbian
  • östlig rävekorreSwedish
  • Tilki SincabıTurkish
  • Білка лисячаUkrainian
  • 狐松鼠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the fox squirrel

Other species in the same genus Sciurus.

CompareFox squirrel vs Red squirrelFox squirrel vs Eastern gray squirrelFox squirrel vs Caucasian squirrelFox squirrel vs Japanese squirrel

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the fox squirrel?

An adult fox squirrel weighs 761.9 g – 803.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the fox squirrel endangered?

The fox squirrel is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the fox squirrel live?

The fox squirrel has a recorded lifespan of 14.9 years.

How long is the fox squirrel pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 44.3 days.

What kind of animal is the fox squirrel?

The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) belongs to the family Sciuridae in the order Rodentia.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/fox-squirrel

MLA

“Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/fox-squirrel.

BibTeX
@misc{fox_squirrel_2026,
  title = {Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/fox-squirrel},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}