Central Park Squirrel

Our little red squirrels I think are so much cuter but squirrels in general are just plain cute. This gray is about twice the size of our Black Hills squirrels. When we first moved here I thought baby squirrels were running all over...I was so wrong.

Gray Squirrel Sciurus caroliniensis is a tree squirrel native to the eastern and midwestern United States and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada. The specific epithet, carolinensis, refers to the Carolinas, where the species was first recorded and where the animal is still extremely common. The native range of the eastern gray squirrel overlaps with that of the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), with which it is sometimes confused, although the core of the fox squirrel's range is slightly more to the west.

A prolific and adaptable species, the gray squirrel has been introduced to, and thrives, in several regions of the western United States. It has also been introduced to Britain, where it has spread across the country and has largely displaced the native red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris. In Ireland, the red squirrel has been almost entirely displaced and there are concerns that the same might happen in Italy.