northeast-flora-and-fauna

Here are a couple of  Eastern Gray Squirrels ready for action, all set to jump or scamper depending on what I do. Although they don't necessarily stay in poses like these for long, squirrels are frequently found in poses resembling superheroes . Another interesting thing about Eastern Gray Squirrels is that they're not necessarily gray. In fact, a little south of me the Princeton campus is known for its melanistic squirrels , basically Eastern Gray Squirrels with black coloring. It's possible that black squirrels have a slight camouflage advantage in coniferous forests which tend to be darker than deciduous forests, and it's possible they have a slight thermoregulation advantage where it's very cold. It's less clear why they seem to have carved out a home in Princeton. While they're too common to get excited about from a naturalist perspective, squirrels can be entertaining to watch. January 6, 2022 at Duke Farms Photo 176178635, (c) jpviolette, some right...