Red squirrel

The American red squirrel is one of three species of tree squirrel currently classified in the genus Tamiasciurus, known as the pine squirrels (the others are the Douglas squirrel and Mearns's squirreli). American red squirrels are widely distributed across the North American continent. Their range includes most of Canada, the southern part of Alaska, coastal British Columbia, and the Rocky Mountains and boreal forests east to the Atlantic coast. American red squirrels are abundant and not of conservation concern throughout much of their range. However, an isolated population of red squirrels in Arizona has experienced considerable declines in population size. American red squirrels experience severe early mortality (on average only 22% survive to one year of age). The survival probability, however, increases to age three, when it begins to decrease again. Females that survive to one year of age have a life expectancy of 2.3 years and a maximum lifespan of eight years.