Fox squirrel adults are basically solitary, measure 20-22 inches (8-10 inches is tail length) and are twice as heavy as gray squirrels, sometimes weighing over 2 pounds. Most Florida fox squirrels are gray and black or brown and black. Some can be almost completely black. Most have a black, masklike face with a white nose and white ears. Some have white feet.

Fox squirrels are found throughout most of Florida except in the Keys. There are three subspecies of fox squirrels in Florida: Sherman’s fox squirrel, found throughout most of the peninsula, the Carolina fox squirrel, found in the panhandle, and the mangrove fox squirrel, found only in Southwest Florida.

Fox squirrels prefer pine-oak forests and can range over 10-50 acres in search of food. Less prolific than gray or flying squirrels, they are becoming increasingly rare in the Southeast United States.

The favorite food of fox squirrels includes walnuts and hickory, but they also eat acorns, hazelnuts and fruits. Seeds and buds are consumed when nuts are not available. Though classified as a tree squirrel, it spends most of its time on the ground. It prefers a leaf nest about 30 feet above ground but has also nested in cabbage palms and clumps of bromeliads.

A newborn will come into the world weighing 1/2 ounce and will become self-supporting by 12 weeks of age. They live up to 6 years in the wild.