Squirrels are absolutely everywhere. Whether you love them or hate them, it’s likely that you see them as much or more than most other animals. Despite this, most people don’t know much about squirrels. Show If you were to ask several people how long they think a squirrel lives, you’ll likely get a variety of answers ranging from a few months to many years. Surprisingly, they’re all partially correct! Whether you’re wondering how long your pet squirrel will live for or how long a squirrel will wreak havoc on your property, read on to better understand the lifespan of a squirrel. How Long Do Squirrels Live?The lifespan of a squirrel can vary greatly. Most wild squirrels don’t live beyond 1 year, but they can potentially live for more than 10 years. Captive squirrels, however, regularly live for 15 years, sometimes reaching around 25! There are a myriad of factors that determine how long a squirrel lives for. While premature deaths absolutely lower the average lifespan, the species and geographic location of the squirrel play huge parts in their lifespan. Therefore, with the amount of variation that exists, a single accurate age range is difficult to construct beyond “1 to 25 years”. Examples of Different Squirrel LifespansTo better understand how long squirrels live for, it helps to see the individual lifespan of multiple different types of squirrels. Below we’ve highlighted 7 of some of the most common squirrel species — species that you’ll likely encounter or already have plenty of experience with. American Red SquirrelAlso known as the Pine Squirrel, North American Red Squirrel, and Chickaree, the American Red Squirrel is widely distributed across North America. This species of squirrel experiences very high levels of mortality early on, with only 22% surviving past one year of age. Interestingly, males have very slightly longer lifespans than females — a trend that’s usually reversed in most animals, let alone squirrels. Wild Lifespan: 1-3 years Domestic Lifespan: ~8 years Fox SquirrelFox Squirrels are the largest squirrels in North America, and are frequently confused for several other species that share a similar appearance and coloration. This species is most abundant in open forests with little vegetation underneath, but they’re notably tolerant of humans and gladly live in crowded urban areas. Wild Lifespan: 8 – 13 years Domestic Lifespan: ~18 years Red SquirrelThis curious-looking squirrel is a species that’s common throughout Eurasia. Over the years, their population has declined due to the introduction of Grey Squirrels into their natural habitat. Due to the harshness of the environments that they inhabit, juvenile mortality is extreme. 75-85% of juveniles die within their first winter, and each subsequent winter has a 50% mortality rate. Wild Lifespan: 3-7 years Domestic Lifespan: ~10 years Western Gray SquirrelThis species of squirrel is very common along the United States’ west coast and Mexico. They’re fairly standard-looking and actually encompass three sub-species of squirrel. Wild Lifespan: 7-8 years Domestic Lifespan: ~15 years Grey SquirrelGrey Squirrels, also known as Eastern Gray Squirrels, are some of the most prominent squirrels in North America. In fact, this is the species that most people think of when they picture a squirrel. It’s present throughout the easter and midwestern United States and in numerous Canadian regions. In some places of the world, this squirrel is considered an invasive species. At birth, their life expectancy is only 1-2 years, but that increases once they mature. Wild Lifespan: 6-12 years Domestic Lifespan: ~20 years Southern Flying SquirrelThis is one of three flying squirrel species found in North America and is widely distributed throughout the eastern half of the country, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. These small squirrels have been observed living very social lives, often times gliding and sleeping in groups. Wild Lifespan: 2-3 years Domestic Lifespan: ~5 years Black SquirrelBlack squirrels aren’t actually a unique squirrel species. Instead, they’re either Grey Squirrels or Fox Squirrels with increased levels of melanin. There’s no differences in this squirrel besides its coloration, so its lifespan will be that of either a Grey Squirrel or a Fox Squirrel. Wild Lifespan: 6-13 years Domestic Lifespan: ~20 years Wild vs. Captive Squirrel LifespansAs you can see, there is quite a large difference in the lifespans between wild and captive squirrels. Wild squirrels tend to have about half of the lifespan of a captive squirrel, and that’s if they manage to outlive their childhood. A large majority of squirrels never actually make it out of infancy. So, realistically, a wild squirrel is only expected to live for about a year, maybe less. Why is it that wild squirrels have their lives cut so short? Many of them are great scavengers and act smart, so why do they have such a hard time staying alive for long?
Captive squirrels are kept in environments where the above three points aren’t an issue, so they’re able to live out their full lives with ease. A complete diet, comfortable housing, and a low-stress environment all contribute towards helping the squirrel live longer than its wild counterpart. |