Squirrel | Facts & Information

Predators: snakes, weasels, coyotes, birds of prey

The squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris fuscoater) is the acrobat of the animal world. It amazes with its jumps, from one branch to another, at a great height, and with the speed with which it runs on the branches of trees, to which it clings with its sharp claws.

Its bushy tail, longer than the rest of its body, makes it so easily recognizable to everyone. It is the squirrel, which the ancient Greeks called "skiouros", a name resulting from the joining of the words" skia "(meaning shadow) and" Oura " (tail).

That is, in a translation adapted to the present day,"the one who sits in the shadow of his tail". Lives on Earth since ancient times, American zoologists have discovered in Carolina fossils of specimens of gray squirrel, whose" age " was estimated to be about 50 million years!

We meet it today, in many areas of the globe, especially near forested lands, but even in the parks and streets of the localities near the forests, the squirrel adapting very easily to life among people.

And people love and protect her, because she is cute, playful and not at all aggressive.

Although there are not very large differences between them, there are currently over 300 breeds of squirrels, divided into seven large families, the best known and most numerous being gray squirrels, flying squirrels and tree squirrels.

Of these, the grey squirrel is the most common and studied breed, inhabiting large areas of almost the entire surface of the Northern Hemisphere (Europe, Northern Asia, the Far East and Japan).

Squirrel Food

The gray squirrel has a length of 30 – 40 centimeters (including the tail) and a weight not exceeding half a kilogram.

It feeds mainly on peanuts, nuts, seeds, seeds and berries, but does not refuse – when it "moves" to the city and people offer it – crackers, pretzels, waffles and even pizza!

She lives about 6 years, but when she "walks" through the streets of Cities, her life is shortened most of the time by the wheels of cars under which she unfortunately gets.

Appearance Squirrel

A smaller relative of the gray squirrel is the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), which measures at most 20-25 centimeters, has fur in shades from brick to black – reddish, white belly and a long tail, of fluffy and ruffled threads.

This is, by the way, the squirrel that lives in Romania. Some of the specimens of this breed have reddish or black tufts on the ears, these becoming more pronounced in winter. The red squirrel prefers to live in coniferous forests, where it abundantly finds its favorite food: seeds and pine or fir cones.

And in the chipmunk race there are dwarves and Giants. The smallest squirrel can be found in Africa (it was therefore called the african pygmy), more precisely in southeastern Nigeria, in Cameroon and Gabon. You won't believe it, but the head and body of this little squirrel have – together – no more than 7 centimeters, and the tail still measures as much!

The giant of the squirrel family is called Ratufa (Ratufa indica), also known as the Indian giant squirrel, its body and tail can measure – together – up to 90 centimeters! These giant squirrels live in Southeast Asia and some areas of Nepal.

The family Sciuridae to which the Chipmunks belong contains several genera. These include hundreds of species of squirrels including tree squirrels, ground squirrels and Flying Squirrels.

American Red squirrel

Animal track

Fox squirrel

Purple squirrel

Red squirrel

Squirrel relationship with humans

Western gray squirrel

Basilan flying squirrel-Petinomys crinitus

Travancore flying squirrel-Petinomys fuscocapillus

Whiskered flying squirrel-Petinomys genibarbis

Hagen's flying squirrel-Petinomys hageni

Siberian flying squirrel-Petinomys lugens

Mindanao flying squirrel-Petinomys mindanensis

Arrow flying squirrel-Petinomys sagitta

Temminck's flying squirrel-Petinomys setosus

Vordermann's flying squirrel-Petinomys vordermanni

Allen's squirrel-Sciurus alleni

Arizona gray squirrel-Sciurus arizonensis

Mexican gray squirrel-Sciurus aureogaster

Eastern gray squirrel-Sciurus carolinensis

Collie's squirrel-Sciurus colliaei

Deppe's squirrel-Sciurus deppei

Japanese squirrel-Sciurus lis

Mexican fox squirrel-Sciurus nayaritensis

Eastern fox squirrel – Sciurus niger

Peters's squirrel-Sciurus oculatus

Variegated squirrel-Sciurus variegatoides

Eurasian red squirrel-Sciurus vulgaris

Yucatan squirrel-Sciurus yucatanensis

Brazilian squirrel (Guianan squirrel – - Sciurus aestuans

Yellow-throated squirrel-Sciurus gilvigularis

Red-tailed squirrel-Sciurus granatensis

Bolivian squirrel-Sciurus ignitus

Atlantic Forest squirrel-Sciurus ingrami

Andean squirrel-Sciurus pucheranii

Richmond's squirrel-Sciurus richmondi

Sanborn's squirrel-Sciurus sanborni

Guayaquil squirrel-Sciurus stramineus

Squirrel Behavior

Although rodents are not usually beloved animals, in North America a breed of squirrels has become everyone's favorite.

It is about the striped squirrel (Tamias striatus), which lives in forests, but spends most of its time on the ground, being a bold and brave animal that is not afraid of people. Usually striped squirrels rummage for seeds and berries, but they also eat leftovers after picnics.

Returning to the usual squirrels and their way of living, let's say that these little animals are active all year round, not entering the winter into hibernation. The fact that with the beginning of the cold season they no longer appear has another explanation: they retreat into hollows or burrows to protect and preserve their body heat, leaving their shelter only to replenish their food supplies.

This is also a tactic to protect against predators, who in those periods diversify their menu, hunting even small animals that are not usually on the list of favorite victims. One of the few natural enemies of the squirrel remains – regardless of the season-the Eagle, this bird of prey often hovering over the lands on which the little fluffy mogaldets hovers.

A curiosity that zoologists can find no other explanation than that of the kinship with some species of rodents is the fact that the squirrel can move through the water swimming "dogs" and using its tail as a helm!

It is true that this happens very rarely: only when the squirrel has no choice does it resort to this extremely tiring means of travel for her. Otherwise, run at very high speeds or make jumps, the length of the jump can reach almost two meters.

If these jumps take place at a height, from one ridge to another, or even between two neighboring trees, the jump can be likened to flying, from this comparison the name of flying squirrels comes.

You didn't really think it was flying, did you?

Squirrel Breeding

Squirrels are lonely animals. They do not live in groups, and the only rapprochement between males and females occurs during mating. After that, especially in the spring, the male leaves the female, which she leaves to take care of her own, usually four little newborns.

Puppies are born naked and blind, ranging from 30 to 50 grams each. The mother squirrel will keep them in their burrow until they grow old enough to fend for themselves. This period lasts from eight to ten weeks.

During this time, the squirrel moves its cubs – one at a time – from one place to another (if needed), grabbing them by the back of the head, as you've probably seen cats do with their cubs.

Being so cute and friendly, you will wonder – of course – if you could bring a squirrel into your room to raise it as a pet. The answer is: definitely not! The squirrel needs space where he can run, jump, climb.

Unwittingly, not maliciously, she can simply destroy things in the house with her sharp claws and her teeth formed for gnawing. So, we only have to admire these cute bushy-tailed acrobats in their natural environment, feed them and protect them.