Yulissa Cruz
Mr. Skipper
Encounters 8
03/08/24
Problematic Gray Squirrels
Introduction
Invasive animals affect the world economically and environmentally. Although Gray Squirrels have some benefits, they mostly cause damage economically. Gray squirrels move from forests and woodlands to more civilized areas and the suburbs, and since gray squirrels reproduce so fast, they can overpopulate areas quite easily. They can adapt to new environments easily and can substitute the features of a forest for a civilized neighborhood. The gray squirrels can break into homes and damage properties, and since there are too many, they can cause serious damage to humans. The gray squirrel population needs to be controlled so they don't cause more damage. Gray squirrels are an invasive species that are nowhere close to extinction which is a large problem for the world economically.
Description
Gray Squirrels, also scientifically known as Sciurus Carolinensis, are a type of squirrel that have an extensive variety of fur colors and textures (Lawncizak). An average gray squirrel weighs about ”20 ounces” and is about “14 to 21 inches long” (Gray Squirrel). Their fur color ranges from gray to black and to brown and they have “white undertones“ on most parts of their bodies (Eastern Gray Squirrel). Melanism is common in this species. melanism is when an animal’s fur color is partly or completely black (Eastern Gray Squirrel). In the northern populations, melanism is more common between the populations (Gray Squirrels). Gray squirrels have a good variety of fur colors to hide themselves from predators, which is very effective because there are way too many in the wild now. In the summer, the gray squirrel’s coat becomes warmer and brown while in the winter, their fur coats turn into cooler gray tones with thicker coats (Gray Squirrels). Gray squirrel’s bodies are fit for the job of eating because they are so active. They are also good at surviving predators, mostly because of their fur colors and because they blend in with the branches and trunks of trees in the forest. Gray squirrels are very common in places like forests and neighborhoods, mainly because these places have all of the necessities a gray squirrel needs therefore a perfect habitat for them.
Habitat
Gray Squirrels are located in many different forests around the world. Gray squirrels are often found in ”mature” forests or “mature” woodlands worldwide. They usually live and build their nests out of twigs and leaves in the treetops and canopies and inside hollowed-out tree trunks. Gray Squirrels eat pretty much anything they can find in the forests, like “various nuts, flower buds, various berries, fruits, seeds, various fungi, and any small animals they can find.” (Lawncizak). Although a “mature” forest is the preferred forest gray squirrels like to live in, they can substitute the environment they normally live in for urban and suburban areas around the world. The gray squirrels substitute climbing trees in the forest with climbing poles, houses, and wires. They use people’s houses to build a nest in and hibernate, exactly like how they do in forests (Lawncizak).
Adverse Effects
Gray squirrels cause damage in many ways that affect humans economically, and the environment. The gray squirrels harm people economically by chewing through houses and electrical wiring (Gray Squirrels). They also affect people by finding their way through people's homes and possibly chewing through important places in the house structure. Gray squirrels also carry many different diseases and parasites and because they break into houses so much, they can give humans and their pets everything they carry, like “fleas, ticks, lice, and roundworms” (Gray Squirrels). Gray squirrels make their way into houses through any holes and cracks they find so they can build their nest. They are also very agile and fast, which is probably why people don't notice at first that one of these squirrels has invaded their home.
Another thing gray squirrels harm is the environment. Gray squirrels harm the environment by destroying plant bulbs, although most of the time they steal and eat the planted buds, seeds, and nuts from the plants (Gray Squirrels). They destroy forests by doing this. Gray squirrels once immigrated and started wreaking havoc to an already populated forest and had to be removed immediately because they had already destroyed most of the forest (Gray Squirrels). The gray squirrels damage crops that people plant and harvest. They have been doing this in places all over the world like the western United States, Southern Canada, and even places like Italy, Scotland, England, And Ireland (Lawncizak). Gray Squirrels are one of the main causes of electrical and plant problems.
Conclusion
Gray Squirrels are a big problem to humans and should be controlled immediately. People do not care enough about how they damage their own homes, mainly because people do not suspect a simple squirrel is the main cause for why they need to spend their own money on electrical problems the gray squirrels cause. People who are aware need to bring gray squirrels to the attention of other people who have no idea that these animals are causing so much damage. Gray squirrels may seem like a completely harmless animal, or species, but they are one of the most problematic animals that destroy plants and human homes.
Works Cited
“Eastern Gray Squirrel.” Chesapeake Bay Program, 2023, www.chesapeakebay.net/discover/field-guide/entry/eastern-gray-squirrel.
“Gray Squirrels.” Critter Control, www.crittercontrol.com/wildlife/squirrels/gray-squirrels.
Lawncizak, Mara. “Sciurus carolinensis.” Animal Diversity Web, 16 Nov. 2023, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sciurus_carolinensis/.
Saunders, D.A. “Gray Squirrel.” College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 2023, www.esf.edu/aec/adks\/mammals/gray_squirrel.php.