|
|
|
Ghosts in the Trees
STORY BY JACK STATES * PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOM & PAT LEESON
The forested crests along the Grand Canyon rim, high above the meandering Colorado River, are home to a unique and exceptionally handsome mammal, the tassel-eared squirrel.
Although many canyon visitors consider these squirrels a "must-see," not so many actually see one. The squirrels appear as ghostlike images as they leap from tree to tree high in the ponderosa pine canopy. When gracefully bounding across the forest floor, they quickly disappear behind intervening trees, remaining motionless, plastered against the trunks, until intruders have passed by. Low population densities of about two squirrels per acre also make them hard to find.
If you hope to sight one, remember that tassel-ears are most active in early morning and late afternoon, as are most tree squirrels. However, tassel-ears are much less vociferous when disturbed; their characteristic call is a soft "whicker" or "chirp," very different from the harsh grating scold of neighboring red squirrels. But if you quietly approach areas where large, mature pines grow clustered with interlocking canopy and listen attentively, you will not often go unrewarded. ...
|
|
|
The March/April 2003 Issue is out. Find it at Las Vegas bookstores today.
|
|
features
