Wild & Weird: One of the Rarest Squirrels in the World
Mount Graham red squirrels are an endangered subspecies of North American red squirrel. They live in the higher elevations of a single Sky Island mountain range in southern Arizona, the Pinaleño Mountains, where they've been isolated from other red squirrels since the last ice age, some 10,000 years ago.
Climate change and habitat loss -- along with an introduced squirrel species that outcompetes them -- threaten the survival of this rare squirrel population of only 200 to 300 individuals. A pilot captive-breeding program is underway, but according to researchers, female Mount Grahams are only receptive to breeding for 8 hours one day a year.
Watch our new video on Facebook or YouTube to get a peek at these adorable and endangered squirrels.