(Sciurus niger niger)

They live in longleaf pine and mixed hardwood-pine forests with open spaces and are a fire-adaptive species, depending on regular forest fires that burn away thick ground vegetation so they can forage on pine cones,  acorns, and mushrooms, notes SCDNR. Some biologists believe that the fox squirrels’ black coat coloring has evolved as camouflage against charred, burnt tree bark.

The Southern fox squirrel coats are variable—some may be salt and pepper colored or brown, and others may wear an all-black coat. A SC Department of Natural Resources study indicates that the fox squirrel population in the Palmetto State is mostly gray (67%), followed by black (31%), and brown (2%).

Southern fox squirrels can occasionally be found on golf courses, where the opportunistic omnivores may purloin snacks found in golf carts or snatch the occasional ball. Locally on the Grand Strand, check out Brookgreen Gardens or the state parks to see them. Also, SCDNR suggests: the Webb Wildlife Center in Hampton County, Donnelley Wildlife Management Area in Colleton County, and Cheraw State Park in Chesterfield County.

Cute and charismatic, fox squirrels are found predominantly in the Carolinas and Georgia along the Coastal plain. They are the largest tree squirrel in North America. About twice the size of the eastern gray squirrel, fox squirrels grow up to about 26-inches long and weigh in at roughly three pounds. One of their more striking features is a Zorro-like black mask that's often starkly contrasted by a white nose, paws, and ears.