Gray squirrels belong to the rodent family. There are eastern gray squirrels and western gray squirrels. Born without fur and pink in color, they can grow to weigh up to 28 oz. and grow to a length of up to 21 inches long, half of which consists of its long, bushy tail. It takes up to four weeks for the gray squirrel to hear and up to six weeks to see. The fur is generally gray in color with white tufts of fur near the ears, neck and stomach. Its face contains whiskers about the eyes, throat and nose.
Gray squirrels inhabit forests and wooded areas. They are not particular to hardwoods or pines -- as long as the food is plenty, they are happy to be there. Gray squirrels construct their homes from piles of leaves, in a canopy of leaves high on a limb and inside holes in tree trunks.
Nuts and seeds from pine trees and maple trees provide the nourishment for gray squirrels. Just as you may have scene in cartoons, gray squirrels hide a cache of nuts for the cold, winter months when hunting for food is not as easy a task. These furry creatures don't stop with only nuts and seeds to fill their bellies. Gray squirrels feast on apples, berries, tree sap and fungi on trees and in the ground.
There are some cool facts about gray squirrels according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. One interesting fact is that these creatures sometimes have black fur. Sometimes, gray squirrels hang around lakes and streams with no problems, since they can swim. A gray squirrel uses its whiskers to learn about its environment.