Fact File about squirrels

These cute creatures can be found just about everywhere except Australia and Antarctica. Some people think of them as pests because they sometimes nest in places they are not welcome, eat garden roots and buds and get into bird feeders to eat more than their share. A few species have been known to damage farmers’ fields. Most people like squirrels well enough to share the backyard and parks with, but worldwide, the biggest threat to these little animals is the destruction of their forest and grassland homes.
All in the family
Squirrels are a kind of rodent (gnawing animals), closely related to mice, rats, and beavers. There are about 270 species in the Sciuridae (squirrel) family. Squirrels can be divided into three main groups: tree squirrels, flying squirrels and ground squirrels.
Tree squirrels
Tree squirrels have bushy tails and live mostly in trees. They can be found in forests all over the world. These animals spend most of the day searching for food.
Flying squirrels
Flying squirrels live in trees and are nocturnal, searching for food at night. They have a special fold of skin between their front and back legs that allows them to glide from tree to tree. Most species are from Asia, but two small flying squirrels inhabit North America.
Ground squirrels
Ground squirrels have short tails and tend to be more compact than their cousins. They burrow in open fields. Chipmunks are a kind of ground squirrel, and so are marmots (groundhogs) and prairie dogs.
Dinnertime
Squirrels spend a great deal of time eating and collecting food. They like to eat nuts, seeds, pinecones, bark, sap, insects, eggs, fruit, plant shoots, buds and fungi. What they eat depends on the season and what is available.
If they live in a place with cold winters, squirrels store caches of food in the ground or under leaves near their nests. Squirrels usually remember where they have hidden food, but if they forget, they have a keen sense of smell to help them locate a lost meal.
Many squirrels share much of their habitat with humans. They have adapted by nesting close to bird feeders, and they can be quite bold if they are used to people feeding them in the park.
• Squirrels are beneficial to forests when they bury nuts and when they nibble on certain underground fungi. Unclaimed, buried nuts often grow into young trees, helping forest growth.
• Most tree and flying squirrels live alone, but some live in small family groups.
• The front feet of a squirrel have four digits, and the back have five.
• Squirrels molt (shed their fur) twice a year, usually in the spring and fall.
• Squirrels have strong upper and lower incisor teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives. The incisors are ideal for cracking nuts, while the molars grind food into bits.
• The eastern gray squirrel can also be tan, brown or black.
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