The squirrel belongs to the mammals, the order of rodents and the squirrel family. It has an elongated body that ends in a flexible fluffy tail. The squirrel has long, triangle-shaped ears with or without tufts at the end. The coat color ranges from dark brown to red, the belly is light in color. In winter, the squirrel may change color to gray. The color of a mammal's fur depends on its habitat.
The whole body sheds twice a year, but the tail can shed no more than once a year. In the spring the animal sheds in April-May, and in the fall in September-November.
Squirrel: general characteristics
These animals represent the order of rodents and are part of the large squirrel family. By the way, marmots, chipmunks and prairie dogs are also part of the squirrel family, and are their closest relatives.
Squirrels are small animals with an elongated, graceful body and short but strong legs. The body length of most squirrels ranges from 20-50 cm, and they weigh up to 1.5 kg. There are real giants in their family, with a body weight of up to 3 kg, and very tiny ones, whose weight does not exceed 50 g.
Yes, small, but beautiful, fluffy and charming
Rodents have a beautiful thick coat that is soft and silky to the touch. The color depends on the variety. Usually the color of their fur has all shades of red and gray, but there are squirrels with unusual variegated colors, and even individuals with a blue-burgundy coat. Black squirrels and albinos are extremely rare.
Twice a year, in spring and autumn, rodents undergo seasonal molting. The intensity of coat change depends on the food supply: the more abundant the food, the faster their coat changes.
A distinctive feature of squirrels is their long, luxurious tail. But this squirrel attribute serves the animals not only for beauty; the tail performs several important functions. Animals cover themselves with their tail while sleeping, and females warm their newborn babies with it, wrapping it like a blanket. Also, the tail helps squirrels maintain balance when jumping, and even saves their life, because thanks to it the animal will not break, even if it falls from a great height.
Fluffy rodents have well-developed sensory organs. Squirrels have excellent vision, they have a keen sense of smell and incredibly acute hearing. These creatures deftly and agilely climb trees, climbing onto the thinnest branches. They can swim, but they are afraid of water and underwater inhabitants, so they cross rivers only when absolutely necessary.
The lifespan of squirrels is 10-12 years. But they reach such a respectable age only in captivity, and in the wild they live no more than 3-4 years.
Elena
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Question to the expert
Do squirrels make sounds, and if so, what sounds?
Yes, squirrels express their feelings and emotions using different sounds. When an animal is scared or unhappy, it makes a clicking sound. During the mating season, males also click and try to intimidate their opponent with a sound vaguely reminiscent of grunting. Young squirrels “sing,” which manifests itself in hissing and quiet howls. A couple of squirrels in love communicate with each other using the same singing. And if a rodent quietly squeals and puffs, it means that he is quite happy with life.
Habitat
Squirrels can be found in almost every corner of the planet. They successfully settled on all continents, except Australia and Antarctica, covered with eternal ice.
Squirrels and the forest are inextricably linked
Fluffy animals are distributed throughout Europe, from the taiga zones of Siberia to the Mediterranean coast. They live in most of Asia; there are these animals on the African continent. Squirrels live in North and Central America and also inhabit most of the South American continent.
Rodents have chosen deciduous and coniferous forests as their habitat. Squirrels have perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions of northern latitudes and humid tropics; they feel quite comfortable in high mountain regions and swampy mangroves. The natural habitat of squirrels is inextricably linked with trees, so they avoid deserts, steppes and plains, where there is absolutely no food for them and nowhere to hide from predators.
Tailed creatures are attached to their home and do not like to travel too much. But during periods of famine, when there is a catastrophic shortage of food in the forests, squirrels begin mass migration to explore new territories. The animals travel hundreds of kilometers, crossing rivers, steppes and mountains, and only the strongest individuals will be able to survive such an “odyssey” full of dangers and hardships.
Nutrition
These cute animals require a lot of food; in a week they eat as much food as they weigh. They go out to forage for food in the morning or late evening, and sleep at night after an active day.
Most of all, squirrels like to eat the seeds of coniferous trees:
- pine trees;
- ate;
- larch, fir and especially cedar.
In mixed forests they can satisfy their hunger with acorns and various nuts. If there is a shortage of basic food, they switch to feeding on various berries, mushrooms, roots and lichens.
If it is difficult to find adequate protein nutrition, you will eat kidneys, larvae and even bones of small rodents. Basically, this happens in early spring, when there is no way to find something else.
Lifestyle and character traits
Squirrel activity occurs in the morning and evening hours. As soon as the first rays of the sun fall to the ground, rodents leave their cozy tree house and go in search of food. For several hours, the squirrel busily moves through the forest, looking for nuts, acorns and seeds, and towards noon it returns to its hollow to have a snack and rest before an evening walk.
These rodents do not hibernate in winter, but in severe frosts they sit out in their nest, eating the reserves accumulated over the summer. Sometimes a whole group of 5-8 squirrels gathers in one shelter for the winter, because together it’s not so scary and much warmer.
Lifestyle of squirrels
It is unusual for furry animals to live in families; they prefer solitude and solitary existence. Only during the mating season do animals spend some time in pairs, and of course, newborn squirrels live next to their mother until they reach adulthood.
This hollow is busy!
Squirrels do not establish friendly relations with their relatives, but conflicts between them rarely arise. These rodents have no such thing as a personal territory; they coexist quite peacefully in neighbors’ hollows. The squirrels try to drive away all uninvited guests from their home, but do not get involved in fierce fights. And all because these animals set up several houses for themselves, the number of which can reach up to 15. And if the squirrel discovers an impudent lodger in its shelter, it will simply move to other apartments.
Squirrels live not only in tree hollows, but also in abandoned bird nests. And they themselves are skilled builders, and often build houses for themselves from branches fastened together. The animals line each shelter with leaves, moss and even scraps of wool to make it dry and cozy.
Most of a squirrel's life is spent in trees. Among the dense crowns, furry rodents feel most comfortable, because thanks to their agility and low weight, they easily and quickly move even along the thinnest branches. But trees cannot provide the animals with adequate nutrition, so in search of food they have to go down, risking ending up in the clutches of a predator.
Knowing about the danger, squirrels on the ground behave shyly and cautiously. They move in short leaps, trying to stay close to tree trunks. During their land walks, the animals often freeze on their hind legs, listening to the sounds of the forest. And at any suspicious rustle, the squirrels rush to take refuge in the saving crown, skillfully camouflaging themselves in the dense foliage.
Hollow
Squirrels live in a hollow in which they build a nest. Only females can make nests; males only occupy homes previously abandoned by females or settle in bird dwellings.
The squirrel makes two exits from the hollow, one of which is the main one, the other is used only in case of danger or attack. The nests consist of twigs; for warmth they are lined with moss, lichen, grass, leaves and even their own fur.
Their squirrels can build outside the hollow, just on branches, but in regions where there may be severe frosts, they still prefer to settle in the hollow and spend most of the time there, waiting out the bad weather. Most often, one squirrel has several such houses and moves from one to another as needed.
Reproduction and raising of offspring
Squirrels become sexually mature when they reach 6 months. But at such a young age, rodents are just beginning to explore the world around them and get used to living independently, so their interest in the opposite sex awakens when they are 1 year old.
Mating season
The rutting period for these animals begins at the end of January and lasts until August. During one mating season, squirrels are capable of raising up to 3 generations, but their fertility depends on factors such as weather conditions and food resources. In unfavorable years, when there is little food in the forests, rodents produce only 1-2 offspring per year.
This loving couple will soon have babies
Starting from the last month of winter, whole flocks of furry animals gather in squirrel habitats. After all, several suitors claim one female at once, and 4-7 suitors follow the tailed beauty. And to attract the attention of a lady, males organize real knightly tournaments. It rarely comes to the point of a fight; the squirrels simply make clicking sounds and knock on the wood with their paws. Well, the female carefully watches their “combat tap dance”, and in the end chooses the strongest and most courageous gentleman.
Fun fact: Size matters with squirrels! And we're talking about their tail. The longer and more luxurious the male’s tail, the greater his chances of winning the favor of a capricious young lady.
Duration of pregnancy and childbirth
After mating, females do not waste time, but immediately begin to prepare for future motherhood. The squirrels look for a new spacious hollow, and carefully furnish it with a soft bedding of leaves and moss so that the newborns are warm and comfortable. In some varieties, males help partners build a maternity nest, but in general, all the troubles of raising the cubs fall on the shoulders of their furry mothers.
Newborn baby squirrels
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Pregnancy in these animals is quite short-lived, and already 35-40 days after fertilization, tiny squirrels are born. In one litter there are from 3 to 10 babies, they are born blind, deaf and bald, weighing only 8 g. The development of newborns occurs at a slow pace, only on the 14th day they are covered with soft fur, and their eyes open after the first month of life. The cubs are fed with nutritious mother's milk for 40-50 days, then switch to adult food in the form of seeds, greens and nuts.
Squirrels have an interval between births of approximately 13 weeks. As soon as the first brood leaves the nest, the female gains strength within a few days, fattens up, and again looks for a mating partner worthy of becoming the father of her next offspring.
Caring for the Cubs
Squirrels are very responsible and loving mothers, and from the moment of birth they devote all their time to caring for their babies. While the newborns are blind and helpless, the females leave their home only for a quick lunch, visiting their nearest storerooms. Leaving the babies alone, the squirrels carefully disguise the entrance to the nest with a piece of moss to protect them from prying eyes. And every few days they move their heirs to a new shelter, trying to confuse predators who might be attracted by the smell of the nest.
The baby squirrels can’t wait to explore and explore everything around them.
When baby squirrels turn one month old, mothers’ worries only increase. After all, furry children are very inquisitive, and they are attracted by the magical world outside their home. At first, the kids only timidly peek out of the hollow, and at an unfamiliar sound they rush to take refuge in its safe depths. But curiosity overcomes fear, and soon they are already starting fun games, jumping on branches and climbing tree trunks. Well, the females have to look after their mischievous brood, and make sure that the especially nimble little squirrel does not fall from the tree or fall into the paws of a bird of prey.
The squirrels spend their entire childhood and youth in such carefree entertainment, after which the most important stage in their life begins - separation from their mother. The young leave their native nest at the age of 3-4 months, and each of them faces an independent life, full of dangers, but such an interesting and multifaceted life.
Most squirrels die at a young age, having survived their first winter. Many of them will become victims of predators, some will be shot by a hunter, and some will die from a deadly infection. But thanks to fertility and the ability to adapt to any conditions, the squirrel race has every chance of survival.
Natural enemies of squirrels
Forest squirrels have a difficult life; almost every day they are forced to fight for their existence. After all, there are a lot of predators around who are trying to catch a furry animal for dinner. Moreover, the threat to them comes from both the ground and the air, and even in the dense crown of a tree, squirrels cannot feel completely safe.
The sly fox waits for the squirrel to come down from the tree
Once a squirrel descends to the ground, it runs the risk of being ambushed by a weasel, ermine or sable. She has to beware of foxes, wolverines and martens, as well as small predators such as ferrets, which do not miss the opportunity to hunt this rodent. And among the representatives of the cat family there are many who want to feast on squirrels. Cougars, lynxes and jungle cats are excellent tree climbers, so it is not difficult for them to catch an animal in its native element.
This squirrel is lucky that the eagle owl is sleepy and well-fed
For birds, squirrels are also desirable prey. As the sun sets, owls, eagle owls, and hawks fly out to hunt at night, and as soon as a rodent loses its vigilance for even a minute, it finds itself in the claws of a bird of prey. Sometimes miniature creatures die in the deadly embrace of snakes, but for the most part sick animals become victims of reptiles, because catching a healthy, agile squirrel is not so easy.
In addition to natural enemies, competitors also annoy squirrels a lot. Mice, chipmunks and wild hamsters often destroy their carefully collected food supplies for the winter. And also, furry animals are constantly fighting with birds for hollows and shelters in tree crowns.
Suburban squirrels also have it tough. Yes, they are unlikely to encounter a wild animal in the park, but danger lurks in the city groves. Stray cats and dogs are not averse to preying on the fluffy inhabitants of public gardens, and young squirrels can become a snack for crows and jays.
Interesting facts about the rodent:
- For the winter, squirrels store nuts by burying them in the ground or hiding them in tree hollows. This “habit” of animals helps preserve forests, since in most cases squirrels forget about their reserves, and new trees grow from sprouted seeds.
- In populated areas, squirrels feed from bird feeders, dig up planted plants, and even settle in attics. In urban areas, squirrels are often tamed for hand feeding. When a person feeds a squirrel, it returns to him for a new portion the next day. At the same time, the animal takes all the food that is given to it and carefully hides the remains that it does not eat.
- Sometimes squirrels are considered pests because they can chew anything. Thus, they cause power supply disruptions because they sharpen their teeth on tree branches, but cannot distinguish them from electrical wires.
- The squirrel is a valuable fur-bearing animal and an object of the fur trade. It is massively mined in the taiga zone of Europe, the Urals and Siberia.
