Baltimore Ecosystem Study

Gray squirrel density, habitat suitability, and behavior in urban parks

Eastern Gray Squirrel

Photograph: Tommy Parker

BES Co-PIs Tommy Parker and Charlie Nilon have authored a paper which appeared in the journal Urban Ecosystems.

The paper examines the effect of urbanization on squirrels. The process is called "synurbization" and manifests itself in changes in density, increased instraspecific aggression, and reduced fear of humans (wariness).

This paper demonstrates and quantifies relationships between density and aggression, density and reduced wariness, and density and habitat suitability.

Details on the paper, and an abstract, can be found through the digital object identifier (doi) at http://www.springerlink.com/content/8125237lk3r6478x/.

The paper is available in Adobe Portable Document form here: http://beslter.org/bes_publications/2008/parker_and_nilon/parker_and_nilon.pdf.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0423476. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.