The gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, is a creature that is very well known across Rice University for being a little too friendly with Rice students. The squirrels here seem to have habituated themselves to a certain lifestyle here that has reduced their levels of alertness and actually changed the way that the squirrels here on campus forage for food.

Rice Squirrel with a Waffle. Courtesy of ricesquirrels.tumblr.com

Upon watching the gray squirrels, I realized that the squirrels here at Rice are the same species of the squirrels that I have observed living around my home, which happens to be a mere 30 minutes from Rice, however, they have striking differences. The squirrels that I noticed here at Rice were very bold. (more…)