How big does a American red squirrel get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:
A grown American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) reaches an average size of 18.8 cm (0′ 8″).
When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). During their lifetime of about 12 years, they grow from 6 grams (0.01 lbs) to 200 grams (0.44 lbs). Talking about reproduction, American red squirrels have 4 babies about 1 times per year. The American red squirrel (genus: Tamiasciurus) is a member of the family Sciuridae.
As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.
The American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is one of three species of tree squirrels currently classified in the genus Tamiasciurus, known as the pine squirrels (the others are the Douglas squirrel, T. douglasii, and Mearns’s squirrel, T. mearnsi). The American red squirrel is variously known as the pine squirrel, North American red squirrel and chickaree. It is also referred to as Hudson’s Bay squirrel, as in John James Audubon’s work The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America (hence the species name). The squirrel is a small, 200–250 g (7.1–8.8 oz), diurnal mammal that defends a year-round exclusive territory. It feeds primarily on the seeds of conifer cones, and is widely distributed across North America wherever conifers are common, except on the Pacific coast, where its cousin, the Douglas squirrel, is found instead. The American red squirrel is not found on most of the Great Plains or in the southeastern United States, as conifer trees are not common in those areas. The squirrel has been expanding its range into hardwood forests.
Animals of the same family as a American red squirrel
We found other animals of the Sciuridae family:
- Brooke’s squirrel with a size of 18.6 cm (0′ 8″)
- Forest giant squirrel with a size of 29.1 cm (1′ 0″)
- Black giant squirrel with a size of 31.9 cm (1′ 1″)
- Long-tailed marmot with 3 babies per litter
- Long-eared chipmunk with a size of 14 cm (0′ 6″)
- Collie’s squirrel with a size of 25.4 cm (0′ 10″)
- Lodgepole chipmunk with a size of 12.5 cm (0′ 5″)
- Gray marmot with 5 babies per litter
- African pygmy squirrel with a size of 6.9 cm (0′ 3″)
- California chipmunk with a size of 12.8 cm (0′ 6″)
Animals with the same size as a American red squirrel
Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as American red squirrel:
- Sulawesi stripe-faced fruit bat with a size of 16.5 cm (0′ 7″)
- Smoky pocket gopher with a size of 21.5 cm (0′ 9″)
- Greater hedgehog tenrec with a size of 18.5 cm (0′ 8″)
- Robust yellow bat with a size of 15.2 cm (0′ 6″)
- Big-eared flying fox with a size of 21.1 cm (0′ 9″)
- Dusky field rat with a size of 15.9 cm (0′ 7″)
- Greater fairy armadillo with a size of 15.7 cm (0′ 7″)
- Hastings River mouse with a size of 16 cm (0′ 7″)
- Four-toed hedgehog with a size of 15.9 cm (0′ 7″)
- Lesser small-toothed rat with a size of 15.8 cm (0′ 7″)
Animals with the same litter size as a American red squirrel
Here is a list of animals that have the same number of babies per litter (4) as a American red squirrel:
- Ningbing false antechinus
- Large bamboo rat
- Northern pika
- Chestnut white-bellied rat
- Lodgepole chipmunk
- Long-tailed giant rat
- Silver mountain vole
- Culpeo
- Libyan jird
- Tamarisk jird
Animals with the same life expectancy as a American red squirrel
Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a American red squirrel:
- Greater bilby with an average maximal age of 10 years
- Maxwell’s duiker with an average maximal age of 12.25 years
- Mountain pygmy possum with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Masoala fork-marked lemur with an average maximal age of 12 years
- European polecat with an average maximal age of 14 years
- Urial with an average maximal age of 13.75 years
- California leaf-nosed bat with an average maximal age of 10.33 years
- American mink with an average maximal age of 10 years
- European hare with an average maximal age of 12 years
- Least weasel with an average maximal age of 10 years
Animals with the same weight as a American red squirrel
As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Tamiasciurus hudsonicus:
- Shipton’s mountain cavy bringing 185 grams to the scale
- Painted treeshrew bringing 168 grams to the scale
- Black-striped squirrel bringing 209 grams to the scale
- Desert pocket gopher bringing 206 grams to the scale
- Speckled dasyure bringing 212 grams to the scale
- Chacoan tuco-tuco bringing 166 grams to the scale
- Western naked-backed fruit bat bringing 226 grams to the scale
- Cameroon scaly-tail bringing 200 grams to the scale
- Asian red-cheeked squirrel bringing 201 grams to the scale
- Short-furred dasyure bringing 161 grams to the scale