DNR researchers want to count squirrels. But they'll have to catch them first

[NickB79]

5. Sounds like a Delmarva fox squirrel!

http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/delmarva-fox-squirrel-no-longer-endangered-151116.htm

At about 15 inches in body length, minus the tail, Delmarva fox squirrels are larger than other squirrel species, and unlike more typical squirrels they're not usually seen in urban and suburban environments. Instead, they live on rural, forested lands and in agricultural fields.

The animals once ranged in healthy numbers on the Delmarva (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia) Peninsula. But mid-20th-century forest clearing for timber harvesting, agriculture, development, and hunting decimated the animal almost completely.

Now, though, its numbers are so robust that the squirrel is no longer considered at risk of extinction.

According to the FWS, the squirrel has increased its range, since being listed, from four to 10 counties. Its population is now estimated at 20,000, covering nearly 30 percent of the peninsula, primarily in Maryland.

They're supposed to be absolutely massive for a squirrel.