10 Fascinating Facts About Squirrels
“…1. Squirrels are rodents.
They’re members of the family Sciuridae, which includes small- & medium-sized rodents like tree squirrels, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, chipmunks, & prairie dogs…
2. A squirrel’s front teeth don’t stop growing.
To prevent those 4 teeth from getting too long, squirrels must frequently gnaw on things. (The same is true of other rodents. In fact, ‘rodent’ is derived from ‘rodere’ in Latin, which means just that: to gnaw.)
… Squirrels can also have difficulty keeping track of their buried stash, which is good news not only for other animals but for the environment as well, since those forgotten acorns grow into oaks in the forest.
4. Squirrels use something called ‘deceptive caching’ to deter thieves.
Squirrels will sometimes cleverly pretend to bury nuts by digging a hole & then covering it up with nothing inside.
5. Squirrels have powerful senses of smell.
In the wintertime, some squirrel species are able to smell food that’s buried under a foot of snow. They can then dig a tunnel to reach the food, whether it belongs to them or another squirrel.
6. Squirrels are not social animals.
… these creatures want to be alone. They are territorial & rarely interact with one another.
7. Squirrels will raise orphaned pups.
If an orphaned baby squirrel is closely related to a female adult squirrel, she may adopt it as her own… This is surprising because… ‘Although adoptions occur among species that live in extended family groups, it’s much less common among asocial animals.’
8. Squirrels run in a unique pattern to escape predators.
Running (even along tree branches) in a zigzag pattern makes it more difficult for squirrels to be snatched by hawks & other animals.
9. Before the 1800s, there were no squirrels in U.S. parks.
…In the early 19th century, they were introduced to New York’s Central Park to create ‘a bucolic atmosphere that was entertaining, enlightening & salubrious,’ Popular Science reports, quoting an article in the Journal of American History.
10. There are no squirrels in Australia.
But there are more than 200 species all over the rest of the world.”
Laura Goldman
Jan. 20/2018
Care2.com
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