Marty’s Wing~Nuts
The Occasionally Profound Ruminations of an Enlightened Squirrel
~* Marty the Squirrel at his Sacred Oak Tree near the
~ Salient Squirrel Facts ~
Everything You Need to Know About
Marty the Squirrel
Us squirrels are one of many small or medium-sized rodents in the family Sciuridae. For you English-speaking folks, squirrel commonly refers to members of this family's genera Sciurus and Tamiasciurus... or tree squirrels with large bushy tails, indigenous to Asia, Europe and the
Etymology
The word squirrel was first attested in 1327, coming from the Anglo-Norman esquirel from Old French, escurel, the reflex of a Latin word sciurus which was itself borrowed from Greek folks, being their word skiouros. Skiouros means shadow-tailed, because us squirrels often use our tails to shade our entire body.
Diet & Habits
Most folks don’t realize us squirrels cannot digest cellulose so we gotta rely on foods rich in protein, carbs and fat. In temperate regions early spring is our most challenging time of year since buried nuts begin to sprout and are no longer available for us squirrels to eat... while new food sources have not yet become available. During these times squirrels rely heavily on the buds of trees.
Squirrels' diets consists primarily of plant foods, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits and mushrooms (fungi) in addition to some green vegetation. However some squirrels also consume meat, especially when faced with hunger. Squirrels have been known to eat insects, eggs, small birds, young snakes and smaller rodents. (But we don’t divulge that to many human critters!)
Us ground and tree squirrels usually go about our business during the daylight hours like most human critters but flying squirrels tend to be creatures of the night.
Most of us squirrels are reasonably clever and persistent animals. In residential neighborhoods we have a reputation for eating out of bird feeders, digging in planting pots and flower beds to pull out bulbs (which we chew on) or being inclined to bury or recover seeds and nuts. We’re also known for inhabiting sheltered areas including attics and basements. We often use our keen sense of smell to locate buried nuts, digging extensive holes in the process. Birds, especially crows, will watch a squirrel bury a nut and will dig it up as soon as the squirrel leaves. Although expert climbers, and primarily arboreal, us squirrels really thrive in urban environments also. A squirrel nest is called a drey, for those of you who were wonderin’.
Additional Facts
It should be noted that us squirrels are safe neighbors who pose almost zero risk of transmitting rabies. Squirrels can be trained to be hand-fed and since we’re able to cache surplus food, we’ll keep comin’ back for as much as you’ll give us! Squirrels have learned that humans are typically a bit of a soft touch... a ready source of food.
Urban squirrels have learned to get a great deal of food from over-generous humans. One of the more common and inexpensive foods fed to squirrels is peanuts, but recent studies have shown that raw peanuts contain a trypsin inhibitor that prevents the absorption of protein in the intestines so offering peanuts that have been roasted is the better option. However, some wildlife rehabilitators have noted that neither raw nor roasted peanuts nor sunflower seeds are good for squirrels, since they are deficient in several essential nutrients. This type of deficiency has been found to cause metabolic bone disease, a somewhat common ailment found in malnourished squirrels. Please be discerning about how much of these “treats” you feed us, dried corn is a good alternative and much healthier.
Sometimes squirrels are kept as household pets, provided they’re selected young enough and hand raised in a civilized fashion. We can be taught to do tricks and are said to be as intelligent as dogs in our ability to learn behaviors. If you’re thinkin about havin’ one of us as a “live in friend”, remember, a large cage and a balanced diet with good variety will keep a pet squirrel healthy and happy. Those who keep us as a pet must be aware of "spring fever", a time when a female pet squirrel will become very defensive of her cage, thinking of it as her nest and being somewhat aggressive about defending the area.
Despite periodic complaints about us squirrel critters being a pest, general public opinion towards us is favorable, thanks to our handsome appearance, intelligence and eating styles and habits. Squirrels are popular characters in many forms of media, which is how I have become a minor star on the internet.
I might also mention that Olney,
Us gray squirrels learn from observing others, at least according to research that shows squirrels quickly learn from watching their peers... particularly if it relates to acquiring food. It is the first study to test the ability of gray squirrels to learn from observation. The study also suggests that squirrels are primed to recognize other squirrels as potential food thieves and also shows that they learn more quickly from real life observations. Although, most of us squirrels prefer to think of our fellow critters as “borrowers” rather than “thieves”.
Squirrel Psychology
Squirrels Learn From Others How To Steal Food
Squirrel Appreciation Day The Origin of Squirrel Appreciation Day
Christy Hargrove from
When: January 21st of each year
Squirrel Appreciation Day is an opportunity to enjoy and appreciate your tree climbing, nut gathering neighborhood squirrels. It's held in mid-winter when food sources are scarce for squirrels and other wildlife. Sure, squirrels spent all fall gathering and "squirreling" away food, but their supplies may not be enough. And, the variety of food is limited. So, give them an extra special treat today to supplement their winter diets.
National Squirrel Awareness Week
takes place
October 5th through the 11th of each year.
“Squirreled”
In American grammar "squirreled" means to “have hidden items away”. Some folks would argue it’s the longest one-syllable word in the English language... although in all British English accents it has two syllables, like squirrel ~ ed... which Marty thinks sounds pretty funny.
Yep, yep! Pretty funny!
Tree & Ground Squirrels
There are an astonishing number of us squirrels all around the planet and we are strikingly attractive animals, I must say. Members of the squirrel family are found in every country in the world except for
According to fossil records, we squirrels have been on earth for over 11 million years and for about 3 million years as you human critters recognize us now. One of the largest squirrels is the Ratufa which can grow to up to 3 feet in length. (Dang!) The Ratufa can jump 20 to 30 feet (double dang!) and is native to Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent to
The eastern gray squirrel measures 8 to 10 inches with a bushy tail that's almost equally long. Us eastern squirrels can be highly varied in coloration, ranging from a reddish brown tint to almost pure white, or all dark or black. Our cousins out west are a little longer and heavier and the fox squirrel is the biggest of us all, sometimes as long as 15 inches with an equally long tail... occasionally weighing as much as three pounds! A squirrel's brain is about the size of a walnut. But, we have a high use to size ratio!
Most of us fox and gray squirrels depend on trees, especially oak trees, for homes to bear and raise young, take shelter from the weather, find food and escape from predators. Basically, we use two basic types of natural dens... tree cavities and leaf nests, although, in the Twenty First Century, we’ve seamlessly adapted to life in urban and suburban areas and take liberal advantage of shelter provided by you humans. Places like attics, crawl spaces along the upper floors of buildings, pilings around marinas and nest boxes intended for various species of birds.
The average adult squirrel needs to eat about a pound of food a week to maintain an active life. The squirrel diet varies with the seasons and the availability of plant material (such as nuts, fruits, flowers, and plant buds) that almost entirely makes up our larder. By the way, we don’t really digest cellulose, so it’s important that we get lotsa protein rich foods like nuts and seeds and so forth. Actually, sunflower seeds and peanuts are yummy but not really all that healthy for us, so we count on you folks to be discerning as to how much of those things ya feed us...
A squirrel will break the shell of a nut with its teeth and then clean the nut by licking it or rubbing on its face before burying it. This action applies a scent to the nut and that helps us find it later, sometimes even under a foot of snow!
Most of us squirrel critters try to have two litters a year, with our young being born between February and April, then again in August or September, (except for those western gray squirrels... they has only one breeding season a year and their pups are born between February and June). All of our young are born naked and helpless so the little ones don't venture out of the nest for about seven or eight weeks. A newborn eastern grey squirrel weighs 11 to 13 grams, about the same as 2 U.S. quarters.
In the summer we squirrels are most active two to three hours after sunrise and then we'll rest in the afternoon. Resuming activity again two hours before sunset, us squirrel critters will retire to our nest well before dark and then rarely leave the nest after dark. In the winter, squirrels will complete their activities between dawn and mid-day then remain in or around the nest until the next day. During winter storms or severe cold, a squirrel may not leave the nest for days, but the tree squirrel does not actually hibernate.
An adult squirrel normally lives alone, although, in severe cold, they will share their nest with other squirrels to conserve body heat. Once the temperature rises, the guests are happy to be on their way.
Squirrels communicate through a series of chirps. The frequency, and the duration of the notes communicate everything from laughter to alarm. The frequency range is normally between .01 KHz. and 10 KHz. (kilohertz) and these sounds, when used in conjunction with tail gestures, form the basis of our communication.
Us critters of the squirrel persuasion have the unique ability to see above, below, and behind ourselves without moving our head. but we have trouble seeing straight forward because of our eyes’ wide set position. Often you’ll notice that us squirrels cock our head side to side before we leap... that’s cause we’re triangulating where we’re gonna land.
If a squirrel’s nest becomes infested with fleas or other parasites, we’re outta there and off to build a new nest. This is why there may be more nests then squirrels in a given area.
The male tree squirrel takes twice as long to groom itself as the female, and I might make mention here that all us squirrels are the cleanest animals in the rodent family.
I might also point out that us squirrels are very adept swimmers, crossing lakes and rivers with ease.
Obviously, squirrels are fascinating animals to observe and photograph. We make ourselves available for watchin’ like few other critters and we’re known for having a rich and complex repertoire of behaviors. For those willing to patiently watch and learn, by golly, us squirrels have a lot to offer. Yep, yep, us squirrels are pretty groovy, pretty groovy!
