Effect of additional food on home range size of Tamiasciurus hudsonicus and tree preference of the Red Squirrel.

Abstract

Four red squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, were trapped, their sex and weight recorded, then they were radio-collared. The home range size of one squirrel was measured before and after addition of a feeder to the area. The home range increased after the feeder was added, changing from 2.3ha to 8.6ha. One of the collars was found off the squirrel, and the signal of another collar could not be found after a couple of days. The location of one squirrel was narrowed down to a single tree each time. The number and proportion of deciduous and coniferous trees in most of the squirrel's home range was determined. The squirrel was found in deciduous trees 51.4% of the time, though 58.4% of the trees were conifers. There was a statistically significant relationship between tree types and likelihood of finding the squirrel in it (p<0.05).