Squirrel

The squirrel is a small, furry mammal with a long bushy tail. Squirrels belong to the rodent family, which also includes mice, rats, and beavers. There are more than 200 kinds of squirrels around the world. They live on every continent except Antarctica and Australia. Most weigh less than a pound, though the Indian giant squirrel can grow to three feet long, including its tail.

Squirrels come in three main groups. Tree squirrels live in forests and parks and climb for a living. Ground squirrels dig burrows in open fields and meadows. Flying squirrels do not really fly. They glide from tree to tree using flaps of loose skin that stretch between their front and back legs. A flying squirrel can glide more than 150 feet in a single jump, about half the length of a football field.

A squirrel's body is built for climbing. Its back ankles can rotate almost all the way around, so the squirrel can run headfirst down a tree trunk. Its claws are sharp and curved for gripping bark. Its tail helps it balance on thin branches and works like a parachute if it falls. The tail also works as a blanket on cold nights and as a sunshade on hot days.

Squirrels mostly eat nuts, seeds, fruits, and buds. They also eat insects, eggs, and sometimes young birds. In autumn, tree squirrels spend weeks gathering acorns, walnuts, and pinecones. They bury the food in hundreds of small holes across their territory. This habit is called scatter hoarding. A single gray squirrel may bury several thousand nuts in one fall.

How do squirrels find the nuts again months later? Scientists think they use a mix of memory and smell. But squirrels forget many of their hiding places. Those buried nuts sprout into seedlings in the spring. Oak forests across North America depend on gray squirrels to plant new trees.

Winter is hard for squirrels. Ground squirrels hibernate, dropping their heart rate and body temperature for months. Tree squirrels do not hibernate. They stay in leafy nests called dreys or in hollow tree holes, coming out on warmer days to dig up their buried food.

Squirrels have many enemies, including hawks, owls, foxes, and snakes. To stay safe, they freeze when danger appears, zigzag when they run, and flick their tails as a warning to other squirrels. Most wild squirrels live only about six years. The lucky ones, tucked safely in a park with plenty of food, can reach twelve.