Posted by John Boyd on February 19, 2002 at 21:46:02:
In Reply to: Re: Flamingo:ENP 2/19/01 & Fox Squirrels posted by Vincent Lucas on February 19, 2002 at 17:22:41:
: :Also saw the elusive Mangrove fox squirrel (I know its not a bird) in the mangroves along the road three miles from Flamingo.
: Hi:
: I know that we shouldn't be talking about squirrels on a bird board, but you've piqued my interest. I've seen Fox-Squirrels (the two-tone head kind) at my place in Naples and I just saw another yesterday near Myakka River S.P. in Sarasota County. Is this the same species as the "Mangrove Fox Squirrel"? And to confuse things even more, is this the same squirrel as the endangered Big Cypress Fox Squirrel? OK all of you squirrel experts, here's your chance to shine.
They are all the same species. There are 2 Fox Squirrel subspecies in the Florida peninsula. The Mangrove (Big Cypress) Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger avicennia, is the population S of the Caloosahatchee and SW of Lake Okeechobee. Sherman's Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger shermani is north of the Caloosahatchee, and formerly to Miami-Dade on the east coast. In other words, Fox Squirrels in Naples are Mangrove (Big Cypress), and Fox Squirrels at Myakka are Sherman's. Coloration of both subspecies is highly variable. Sherman's averages a bit larger.
The nominate subspecies (Southern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger niger) occurs in the panhandle.
You might try http://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Sciurus_niger_avicennia.PDF and http://www.fnai.org/FieldGuide/pdf/Sciurus_niger_shermani.PDF for more info and range maps.