A tree squirrel of southwestern Asia, it lives in forests and orchards. Tree seeds are its main food, with oak seeds important across much of its range.
The back is described as chestnut gray to mottled buff, with pale rings around the eyes and underparts ranging from chestnut to buff yellow.
Researchers followed Caucasian squirrels in Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve in Lebanon. The reserve covers about 1,000 hectares, with a forested core of roughly 450 hectares. Trapping produced only two captures in 572 trap-days, while cameras helped confirm squirrel presence. The team also examined eaten pine cones to record where squirrels had been feeding.
The squirrels ate more pine cones than cedar cones, and camera records showed activity from about 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., peaking between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. An estimate based on seed consumption and daily energy needs was 1.04 to 1.82 squirrels per hectare. Cameras, feeding remains and direct sightings each documented different parts of the squirrels’ activity at this protected site.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
In the reserve, cameras and eaten cones documented squirrel use in addition to trapping. Combining these records revealed activity patterns even though trapping produced few captures.