Sherman's fox squirrel (''Sciurus niger shermani'') is a subspecies of the

fox squirrel The fox squirrel (''Sciurus niger''), also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant's fox squirrel, is the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. Despite the differences in size and coloration, it is sometimes mistaken for ...

. It lives in the US states of Florida and Georgia in fire-prone areas of

longleaf pine The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

and

wiregrass Wiregrass is a common name for several plants Wiregrass may refer to: * Poaceae grasses ** ''Aristida'' (three-awns), especially ''Aristida stricta'' (Pineland Three-awn), '' Aristida junciformis'' and ''Aristida purpurea'' (Purple Three-awn), of ...

, especially around

sandhill A sandhill is a type of ecological community or xeric wildfire-maintained ecosystem. It is not the same as a sand dune. It features very short fire return intervals, one to five years. Without fire, sandhills undergo ecological succession and be ...

s. A tree squirrel, the Sherman's fox species has lost much of its habitat to farming and development.Sherman's fox squirrel — a rare sight in Central Florida
A rare Sherman's fox squirrel nibbles on a goodie in a field… by Sherry Boas December 8, 2013 Sherry Boas Orlando Sentinel This type of squirrel nests in oak trees using leaves and

Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Uni ...

Description

In comparison to other fox squirrels, this subspecies is large (23 - 28 in. = 600 – 700 mm) with highly variable dorsal fur color ranging from nearly all black (uncommon) to silver, with variations of black over silver and silver over black. The underside is tan, while the head is generally black; ears and muzzle are often white. The tail is long, nearly the length of the head and torso. Nests are usually in oak trees and are constructed of oak leaves and Spanish moss.

Taxonomy

"New analysis in 2014 and 2015 determined that the Sherman’s fox squirrel is not genetically distinct from other fox squirrels in north and central Florida making it appropriate to group all fox squirrels north of the Caloosahatchee River as Southern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger niger)." The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) specifically states that "The southern fox squirrel, previously classified as Sherman's fox squirrel, is a large rodent member of the Family Sciuridae." A 2017 FWC report states, “they

S. n. niger and S. n. shermani S is the nineteenth letter of the English alphabet. S may also refer to: History * an Anglo-Saxon charter's number in Peter Sawyer (historian), Peter Sawyer's, catalogue Language and linguistics * Long s (ſ), a form of the lower-case letter s ...

may still deserve recognition as separate management units, based on morphological variations.” The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resource Division website states “The delineations between the ranges of the fox squirrel subspecies were originally determined by morphological measurements and pelage coloration.” They further clarify, “However, recent research has revealed no genetic structure in fox squirrels in North and Central Florida, indicating that S. n. niger, S. n. bachmani (Bachman’s fox squirrel), and S. n. shermani may not be genetically distinct subspecies. It is possible these subspecies should be identified and managed as a single subspecies, although they may still deserve recognition as separate management units, based on slight morphological variation. Another recent study found no evident genetic or ecological differences between S. n. niger and S. n. shermani in Georgia, though more investigation is needed to determine the validity of all subspecies of S. niger in Georgia and Florida.”

Conservation

The Sherman's fox squirrel was once designated as a ''species of special concern'' in Florida but due to their resiliency "to habitat modification" and their wider distribution as part of S. n. n., the status was dropped. The other fox squirrel subspecies in Florida is the mangrove or Big Cypress fox squirrel (''Sciurus niger avicennia''), which lives southwest of

Lake Okeechobee Lake Okeechobee (), also known as Florida's Inland Sea, is the largest freshwater lake in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the tenth largest natural freshwater lake among the 50 states of the United States and the second-largest natural freshwat ...

.Sherman's fox squirrel Sciurus niger shermani
Field Guide to the Rare Animals of Florida, Florida Natural Areas Inventory, 2001

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16999910 Sciurus