The eastern grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, is found predominately in the eastern hardwood forest of North America. They have been introduced into western cities including Vancouver, San Francisco, Victoria, and Calgary as well as into other countries including England , Italy and South Africa. In England, the grey squirrel has displaced the native European red squirrel. Grey is the most prevalent pigment of S. carolinensis however there are black melanistic forms which are more prevalent in eastern Canada including the city of London, Ontario. The diet of the eastern grey squirrel varies with the seasons. In the spring they feed on the buds of hardwood trees like maple whereas in the summer they eat seeds, nuts, berries, and other wild fruit. In order to survive the winter, the squirrels must hoard and burry hard nuts such as acorns, pine seeds, and walnuts in the autumn months. This buried food is then retrieved by the grey squirrel
’s strong sense of smell and not by memory as commonly thought. As a result, some nuts are forgotten and remain buried. These nuts later germinate helping to regenerate the hardwood forests. In the wild the average life span is less than 6 years however captive squirrels have been known to live as long as 20 years. The eastern grey squirrel has two breeding season a year, one in January/February and another in
June/ July however, only squirrels 2 years and old breed in both seasons. http://www.pbase.com/drjaysel/image/58441672