Census project counts the squirrels in Central Park

If you’ve ever wondered how many squirrels inhabit New York’s Central Park, you now have an answer: 2,373. Give or take. National Geographic writes that 300 volunteers took part in the Central Park Squirrel Census to catalog the number of eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in the park over 11 days last October. Squirrels aren’t often thought of as a wildlife recovery story, but the eastern gray squirrel, native to the eastern United States, was extirpated from New York City before the 1840s and was later reintroduced. The census team found the squirrels’ densest cluster inhabits the Ramble, the heavily wooded section of the park. Team members also noted color and behavior, including 178 squirrels that boldly approached humans.

Read more at National Geographic.