Re: Mixed ancestry
Paul, over my entire life I've noted changes in wildlife. Mostly the smaller ones that I'm familiar with. When I was a kid down in the mountains I noted there was few fox squirrels but grey's were plentiful. Ditto for foxes. Grey's were everywhere but reds were scarce as hen's teeth. In the early 1950's there was an epidemic of grey foxes & rabies among foxes. It wasn't unusual to see 6 or 8 grey foxes at the same time in grandpa's fields around the house. When I got out of the Navy in 1958 & started hunting northern Ky., I saw there was few grey squirrels but lots of fox squirrels. Ditto for foxes around here too. Lots of red foxes but I've only seen two grey foxes in northern Ky. in over 55 years. ......Now, it is my opinion if there is a shortage of male fox squirrels or grey's, for breeding females, the other species can & do fill in. I also have noted the fox squirrel population here in northern Ky. has declined drastically. Grey's far outnumber fox squirrels now. ......I once observed two grey squirrels "chasing" a fox squirrel in late Feb. I knew there was gonna be a fight. It didn't happen. One of the grey's caught up with the fox squirrel & they .....uhhh....locked in the throes of passion. If different breeds of cats & dogs reproduce, why not squirrels??? ......Paul H
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