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The fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel, [3] 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 co-exist , though they differ in size and coloration.
Fox vibrissae, or whiskers, are black. The whiskers on the muzzle, known as mystacial vibrissae, average 100–110 millimetres ( 3 + 7 ⁄ 8 – 4 + 3 ⁄ 8 inches) long, while the whiskers everywhere else on the head average to be shorter in length.
The southern fox squirrel can vary in length from 20–26 inches (51–66 cm) and they can weigh from 1.5–2.6 pounds (0.68–1.18 kg). [3] They are about double the size of the much more common eastern gray squirrel. [4]
Researchers have pulled the mummy of a newborn saber-toothed cat that died at least 35,000 years ago from Siberia’s permafrost — and the kitten still has its whiskers and claws attached.
The arrangement of these whiskers is not random: they form an ordered grid of arcs (columns) and rows, with shorter whiskers at the front and longer whiskers at the rear (see images). [11] In the mouse, gerbil, hamster, rat, guinea pig, rabbit, and cat, each individual follicle is innervated by 100–200 primary afferent nerve cells . [ 17 ]
Sherman's fox squirrel (Sciurus niger shermani) is a subspecies of the fox squirrel. It lives in the U.S. states of Florida and Georgia in fire-prone areas of longleaf pine and wiregrass, especially around sandhills. [1] A tree squirrel, Sherman's fox squirrel has lost much of its habitat to farming and development.
DNA analysis revealed the specimens belonged to a distinct, previously unknown species in the genus Mesechinus, which is composed of four hedgehog species found in China, Mongolia and Russia.
The ringtail is black to dark brown in color with pale underparts. The animal has a pointed muzzle with long whiskers, similar to that of a fox (its Latin name means 'clever little fox') and its body resembles that of a cat. The ringtail's face resembles a mask as dark brown and black hair surround its eyes. [8]