What species is this mammal?

Question

I saw a mammal that looked like a large squirrel. I haven't seen anything quite like it. Can you help me identify it?

• Squirrel-like, "hunched over" posture.
• It was too large to be an eastern squirrel—approximately 2.5 feet, from nose to tail.
• It had a fluffy tail like an eastern squirrel, not short and rat-like like a ferret.
• Black face with white nose, body was chestnut-brown.
• I saw this on the ground, not in a tree.
• I saw it in a pine forest in east-central Alabama.
• At one point, it sat up on its hind legs.

Answer 1

It sounds pretty much like a fox squirrel (or better: as masked face fox squirrel which are found in Alabama). They look like this (taken from this website):

There seems to be quite some variation in terms of fur color, some animals are more greyish:

Taken from here, this website also contains some additional information.