Parturition Times and Litter Sizes of Gray Squirrels in Virginia

Reproductive data on the gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) were obtained from 215 litters born in nest boxes in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions of Virginia over a 4-year period and from 110 adult and subadult females collected in the Mountain Region over a 12-month period. Two distinct parturition periods were determined from the data; these were February-March and July-August. Eighty percent of all litters in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain were born in these 4 months. Parturition may have occurred slightly later and litter size may have been slightly smaller in the Mountain Region. Comparison of these data with those of similar studies elsewhere indicate that latitude has little effect on breeding season or litter size of the gray squirrel.

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Starting page
541
Ending page
545
ID
42633