Because of the limited sources of food and sharing of home ranges on campus, both red and gray squirrels have similar diets and have to compete with each other for food. According to a study done in 2018, Gray squirrels are being found more in coniferous trees each year. Coniferous trees are usually home to more red squirrels, this movement of gray squirrels in coniferous trees helps to show the competition between the red and gray squirrels. Red squirrel population was also shown to decrease when more gray squirrels were found in conifers. This data gives evidence that gray squirrels are outcompeting red squirrels for resources on campus. More research is needed in order to fully confirm this hypothesis.
Red squirrels have a more defined territory, which means they have an centralized area in which they live and store food. Gray squirrels do not have as defined of territory as red squirrels, which means they move around more, and can more easily enter red squirrel territory. This leads to the red squirrels having to defend their territory from gray squirrels.
Dublin Core
Title:Competition Between Red and Gray Squirrels
Creator:Gilje Et. al
Source:N/A
Rights:Gilje Et. al
Citation:N/A
