Sciuridae
 Sciurus niger
(fox squirrel)

Image Caption:
Crab apples, air dried and frozen on the tree, provide this fox squirrel with winter energy to stay alive in sub-zero temperatures.  Although squirrels prefer other foods, crab apples provide about 3.2 kJ / gram of energy (Nutrient Facts, n.d.) and squirrels probably find them easier to access than acorns buried under up to a foot of snow and frozen soil.

<<  Frozen Dried Apples                                                       >>

Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger rufiventer) Reaching For a Crab Apple
Works Cited:

Nutrient Facts.  (n.d.).  Crabapples.  Retrieved November 24, 2008, from http://www.nutrientfacts.com/searchfood.exe?var=5&word=Crabapples+&Multiplier=1000&Units=Grams&x=33&y=9


Image Location: United States, South Dakota, Brookings
Image Date: 2009JAN14
Image Species: Sciurus niger rufiventer 
(EXIF infomation is accurate – stamped in UTC).

Web Page and Pictures By Peter Leitheiser
Updated: 2009JAN14