Guides / Identify Your Squirrel
Identify Your Squirrel
Gray, fox, red, flying, chipmunk or ground squirrel? Side-by-side sizes, ranges and tells.
Start with three questions: where are you, how big is it, and when is it out? Flying squirrels are nocturnal, ground squirrels and chipmunks live in burrows, and tree squirrels nest in leafy dreys or tree cavities.
| Species | Group | Size | Weight | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern gray squirrel | Tree squirrel | 23–30 cm body, 19–25 cm tail | 400–600 g | North America (introduced UK, Ireland, Italy, South Africa) |
| Fox squirrel | Tree squirrel | 50–76 cm total length | 0.45–1.1 kg | Eastern and central North America |
| American red squirrel | Tree squirrel | 28–35 cm total length | n/a | Boreal and conifer forests of North America |
| Western gray squirrel | Tree squirrel | n/a | n/a | West Coast of the United States |
| Southern flying squirrel | Flying squirrel | 21–26 cm total length | n/a | Eastern North America |
| Northern flying squirrel | Flying squirrel | 25–37 cm long | 110–230 g | Coniferous forests of northern North America |
| Eastern chipmunk | Chipmunk | About 30 cm incl. tail | 66–150 g | Eastern North America |
| Thirteen-lined ground squirrel | Ground squirrel | n/a | n/a | Grasslands of central North America |
| California ground squirrel | Ground squirrel | About 30 cm body + 15 cm tail | 280–738 g | California, Oregon and Baja California |
| Groundhog | Marmot | 42–69 cm total length | 3.1–5.1 kg (seasonal) | Much of North America |
Quick tells
- Gray vs fox squirrel: fox squirrels run much bigger (up to about 76 cm long, per Wikipedia) and often have a rusty belly.
- Red squirrels are small, loud and territorial, living mostly in conifer forest where they eat spruce and pine seeds.
- Chipmunks have stripes on the face and carry food in cheek pouches.
- Flying squirrels glide on a furry membrane and come out at night, so you'll usually see them on a feeder camera.
Frequently asked questions
How do I tell a fox squirrel from a gray squirrel?
Size is the quickest tell: fox squirrels run much bigger, 50 to 76 cm nose to tail tip, while eastern gray squirrels are about 23 to 30 cm in the body plus a 19 to 25 cm tail.
Is it a chipmunk or a ground squirrel?
Both live in burrows. Compare size and range in the table above, then check the species pages for each one.
When can I see flying squirrels?
At night. Flying squirrels are nocturnal, so look at dusk or after dark.