Reaching new heights: novel use of alpine talus by a Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)

Abstract

Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) is common in the boreal forest, where it is chiefly arboreal and intricately tied to conifer trees for food and shelter. As such, these squirrels are found in close association with contiguous conifer forest.However, we observed a Red Squirrel in a talus patch in an alpine valley in southwestern Yukon, Canada. The valley wasdevoid of trees, with the nearest conifer ~3.6 km away and contiguous conifer forest ~4.8 km from our observation. Howor why the Red Squirrel came to be in the alpine talus is unknown; however, it likely represented an unusual natal dispersalevent. Our observation provides a novel record of this arboreal species in a talus patch located in an alpine valley thatlacked trees