Long-Eared Squirrel

I couldn't stand not knowing.  Curiosity kills the cat, and I'm on my 9th life.  It's known as Abert's squirrel (Sciurus aberti), having been named for Colonel J.J. Abert, who was a topographical engineer and naturalist with the U.S. military in the early 1800's.

I googled "long-eared squirrel" and found some information from the New Mexico wildlife Commission:

All Abert's have ear tufts or "tassels" - but during the winter they grow really long, hence the nickname "tassel-eared squirrels."  Their broad tails are used as "umbrellas" to shade the squirrel against overheating.

These squirrels apparently can be found in nearly all ponderosa pine forests and, thanks to human intervention, in some mixed coniferous forests.

Predators include automobiles (duh!), hawks, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, and domestic and feral dogs and cats.  House cats seem to be especially good at sneaking up on Aberts.

Hungry?  Aberts eats lots of ponderosa stuff:  seeds, buds, bark...  In the summer squirrels eat fungi. (Once Granpa and I saw a squirrel at Turquoise Lake in Colorado carrying a mushroom that was at least as big as it was.)  Aberts will also eat mistletoe, acorns, insects, shrubs, grasses and - surprise - carrion (dead animals).

Babies - my favorite thing in the whole world - can come twice a year in litters of two to five little critters.

And that's the story of squirrels with ears the size of jackrabbits!