That’s because it is National Squirrel Appreciation Day. Originally a creation by wildlife rehabilitation specialist Christy Hargrove in 2001, this day was so christened to learn about and celebrate these curious critters.
Squirrels commonly occur in a variety of habitats in all rural areas of the U.S. However, up until the mid-19th century, squirrels weren’t present in American cities. In fact, not until the landscape of urban areas began to be transformed by the planting of trees and the building of parks along with concerted efforts to introduce squirrels into these newly created environments did these bushy-tailed busy bodies begin to become established. The first successful introduction of gray squirrels occurred in Philadelphia’s Franklin Square in 1847; Boston and New Haven followed suit in 1850. By the 1870s, a much larger scale of parks expansion parks in America’s major cities provided a welcomed habitat for squirrels to live and thrive. Read more about this undertaking.
Squirrels are a diverse group consisting of approximately 279 species and 51 genera that are broken into five subfamilies (Ratufinae, Sciurillinae, Sciurinae, Xerinae, and Callosciurinae). The family Sciuridae includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, and flying squirrels.
- Ground Squirrels: Ground squirrels live in burrows in the ground or among rocks. They are generally more robust than tree squirrels and often have short, sturdy forelimbs that are used for digging. Their tails, while fully furred, generally are not as bushy as those of tree squirrels. Our most common ground squirrels locally include Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) and Woodchuck (AKA Groundhog) (Marmota monax).
- Tree Squirrels: Tree squirrels generally have long, bushy tails, sharp claws and large ears. However, the true defining characteristic used to determine which species of Sciuridae are tree squirrels is dependent on their habitat rather than their physiology. Tree squirrels live mostly among trees. Our most common tree squirrels locally are Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus).
- Flying Squirrels: While flying squirrels also make their homes in trees, they have a physiological distinction separating them from their tree squirrel cousins: a furred membrane (patagium) extending between each wrist and ankle that acts as glider wings that allows for gliding flight that enables them to glide between trees. We have two species of flying squirrels in our area: Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) and Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans); the latter is most often found south of the Mohawk Valley.
Some squirrelly facts to drop into conversations today –
- more than 270 squirrel species worldwide
- only wild mammal that many of us will routinely see throughout our lifetime
- group of squirrels is called a scurry
- 25% of nuts buried by squirrels are stolen by others, most often other squirrels
- 74% of buried nuts are never recovered by the squirrel who buried it
- worldwide, squirrels are attributed with planting more than a billion oak trees each year largely due to forgetting where they buried those acorns
- squirrels can leap up to 10X the length of their body and they can reach speeds of up to 20mph!
- their front teeth never stop growing and do so at the rate of six inches per year
- communicate with a wide range of calls, such as ‘squeaking’ noises and territorial barks
- tree squirrel nest is called a drey
Some suggestions on how to become engaged in today’s festivities –
- Feed them and they will come: Smear peanut butter on a pinecone, hang it in a tree, then grab a pair of binoculars and sit back and wait for some fun wildlife viewing up close.
- Create an obstacle course: Since squirrels are the epitome of opportunistic eaters (afterall, you know they will find and pillage from your bird feeders), why not make them work for it? Check out this awesome video for inspiration!
- Read on: Open a book and learn more. Adults might enjoy Squirrels at My Window by Grace Marmor Spruch. Kids will prefer Those Darn Squirrels! by Adam Rubin and The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel by Thornton W. Burgess.
Think like a squirrel and seize the day!
Curious By Nature 