We often keep the focus on our furry friends, the Sciurus niger, or fox squirrels. But there are FIVE types of squirrels indigenous to the United States, and two of them overlap at Notre Dame. Fox squirrels can be seen on campus but so can Tamiasciurus hudsonicus- the American red squirrel. Territorial like its bigger cousins, American red squirrels will let you know when you have ventured into their realm with a repeating noise that would be best described as like a shaking rattlesnake tail. Suffice it to say, it gets your attention. But don't run off! It's just a bit of bravado because when you spot them they go immediately quiet. On being spotted in a tree around St. Joseph's Lake, this American red squirrel said, "Oh, you see me?! Never mind."
To hear this week's installment of In the Red Room...
