Tail is well furred. Ear tufts often develop in winter. A wide variety of foods are taken, ranging from vegetative matter to gall insects, moths, beetles, bird, eggs, and dead fish. Acorn, hickory, walnut, mulberry, and hawthorne seeds are preferred. Food can often become limiting in the winter, so squirrels commonly cache seeds in a scattered fashion for the colder months.
Males follow females prior to estrus, smelling the perineal region.
Males aggregate in the home range of a female when she begins estrus. Dominance hierarchies form among the males to determine mating privledge. Copulation lasts less than thirty seconds, and females can mate with several males. A copulatory plug forms after mating. Gestation lasts 44-45 days.