Eastern gray squirrels are rodents and they are everywhere in the Eastern part of North America.
Eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Toronto.
Grey squirrels multiply like rabbits — or perhaps even faster and they are everywhere. These picures were taken in Toronto where the squirrel population seems to be moderate. The worst I have seen was in Montreal where in one park there were squirrels on top of squirrels eating and fighting over food. They looked like so many rats with somewhat bushier tails climbing over each-other for food — not an elevating sight.
Squirrels are usually regarded as pests to get rid of, they are after all rodents with an appetite.
Eastern gray squirrels, in spite of their name, sometimes have completely black fur. The black variation of the eastern gray squirrel is referred to as the melanistic form.
Eastern gray squirrels sometimes have completely black color.
Gray squirrels seem to be timid creatures that don’t particularly like to be photographed and in fact flee from humans. Perhaps it is they survival instinct, in most places it appears to be legal to hunt down squirrels and eat them, in fact you can order ready to cook squirrels on-line. I am confident that the recipe for my rabbit stew could be adapted for squirrel, but I have yet to go into the trouble of actually getting a squirrel for cooking.
Further Readings:
The truth about squirrels.
Wildlife in the City: Squirrels.
Eastern gray squirrel on Wikipedia.
Hunting and Eating squirrels:
How to Cut Up a Squirrel for Cooking.
Buy Squirrel Meat Onliney.
Apparently not all squirrels are timid.
This one lives close to downtown Toronto and did not try to flee until I got really close.