A
squirrel is one of many small or medium-sized
rodents in the family
Sciuridae. In the
English-speaking world, squirrel commonly
refers to members of this family's
genera
Sciurus and
Tamiasciurus, which are
tree squirrels with large bushy tails,
indigenous to
Asia, the
Americas and
Europe. Similar
genera are found in
Africa. The Sciuridae family also includes
flying squirrels, as well as
ground squirrels such as the
chipmunks,
prairie dogs,
and
woodchucks. Members of the family
Anomaluridae are sometimes misleadingly
referred to as "scaly-tailed flying squirrels" although they are
not closely related to the true squirrels.
In
United
States
and Canada
, common
squirrels include the Fox Squirrel
(S. niger); the Western
Gray Squirrel (S. griseus); the Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus
douglasii); the American Red
Squirrel T. hudsonicus; and the Eastern Grey Squirrel (S.
carolinensis), of which the "Black
Squirrel" is a variant. In Europe the
Red Squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel
(
Sciurus vulgaris) is the most common native species,
although the
Eastern Grey
Squirrel (
S. carolinensis) has been introduced in some
countries and has displaced the red in many areas, including most
of Britain.
Etymology
The word
squirrel, first attested in 1327, comes via
Anglo-Norman esquirel
from the
Old French
escurel, the reflex of a
Latin word
sciurus which was itself
borrowed from
Greek. The word
itself comes from the Greek word σκιουρος,
skiouros, which
means shadow-tailed, because they use their tail to shade their
whole body.
The native
Old English word,
'ācweorna', survived only into
Middle English (as
aquerna)
before being replaced. The Old English word is of
Common Germanic origin, with
cognates such as
German
Eichhorn/
Eichhörnchen and
Norwegian ekorn.
Diet
Unlike
rabbits or
deer,
squirrels cannot digest
cellulose and must
rely on foods rich in
protein,
carbohydrates, and
fat. In
temperate regions early spring is the hardest time of year for
squirrels, since buried nuts begin to sprout and are no longer
available for the squirrel to eat, and new food sources have not
become available yet. During these times squirrels rely heavily on
the buds of trees. Squirrels' diet consists primarily of a wide
variety of plant food, including
nut,
seeds,
conifer
cones,
fruits,
fungi
and 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.
Ground and tree squirrels are typically
diurnal, while flying squirrels tend to be
nocturnal—except for lactating flying
squirrels and their offspring, which have a period of diurnality
during the summer.
Predatory behavior by various species of ground squirrels,
particularly the
thirteen-lined ground
squirrel, has been noted. Bailey, for example, observed a
thirteen-lined ground squirrel preying upon a young chicken.
Wistrand reported seeing this same species eating a freshly killed
snake. Whitaker examined the stomachs of 139 thirteen-lined ground
squirrels, and found bird flesh in four of the specimens and the
remains of a short-tailed shrew in one; Bradley, examining
white-tailed antelope
squirrels' stomachs, found at least 10% of his 609 specimens'
stomachs contained some type of vertebrate—mostly lizards and
rodents. Morgart (1985) observed a white-tailed antelope squirrel
capturing and eating a
silky pocket
mouse.
Relationship with humans
Squirrels are generally clever and persistent animals. In
residential neighborhoods, they are notorious for eating out of
bird feeders, digging in planting pots and flower beds to pull out
bulbs which they chew on or to either bury or recover seeds and
nuts and for inhabiting sheltered areas including
attics and
basements.
Squirrels use their keen sense of smell to locate buried nuts and
can dig extensive holes in the process. Birds, especially
crows, often watch a squirrel bury a nut, then dig it
up as soon as the squirrel leaves. Although expert climbers, and
primarily
arboreal, squirrels also thrive
in urban environments, where they get used to humans. Their
intelligence makes them suitable as pets.
As pests
Squirrels are sometimes considered
pest because of their propensity to chew on
various edible and inedible objects. This characteristic trait aids
in maintaining sharp
teeth, and because their
teeth grow continuously, prevents over-growth. Homeowners in areas
with a heavy squirrel population must keep attics and basements
carefully sealed to prevent property damage caused by nesting
squirrels. A squirrel nest is called a "
drey".
Some homeowners resort to more interesting ways of dealing with
this problem, such as collecting and planting fur from pets such as
domestic
cats and
dogs in attics. This fur will indicate to nesting
squirrels that a potential predator roams and will encourage
evacuation. Fake
owls and
scarecrows are generally ignored by the animals,
and the best way to prevent chewing on an object is to coat it with
something to make it undesirable: for instance a soft cloth or
chili pepper paste or powder. Squirrel
trapping is also practised to
remove them from residential areas. However, otherwise squirrels
are safe neighbors that pose almost zero risk of transmitting
rabies.
Squirrels are often the cause of
power
outages. They can readily climb a power pole and crawl across a
power line. The animals will climb onto
transformers or
capacitors looking for food. If they touch a high
voltage conductor and a grounded portion of the device at the same
time, they are then
electrocuted and
cause a
short circuit that shuts down
equipment.
Squirrels have brought down the high-tech
NASDAQ stock market twice and were
responsible for a spate of power outages at the University of
Alabama
. To sharpen their teeth they will often chew
on tree branches or even the occasional live power line. Rubber
plates (
squirrel guards) are sometimes used to prevent
access to these facilities.
Squirrels are blamed for economic losses to homeowners, nut
growers, forest managers in addition to damage to electric
transmission lines. These losses include direct damage to property,
repairs, lost revenue and public relations. While dollar costs of
these losses are sometimes calculated for isolated incidents, there
is no tracking system to determine the total extent of the
losses.
Squirrels are also responsible for burrowing into sensitive
earthworks such as dams and levees, causing a loss of structural
integrity which requires diligent maintenance and prevention.
Squirrel burrowing activity has sometimes resulted in catastrophic
failures of these structures.
As pets
Squirrels can be trained to be hand-fed. Because they are able to
cache surplus food, they take as much food as is available.
Squirrels living in parks and
campuses in
cities have learned that humans are typically a ready source of
food. Urban squirrels have learned to get a lot of food from
generous humans. A commonly given food is
peanuts, but recent studies show that raw peanuts
contain a
trypsin inhibitor that prevents
the absorption of
protein in the
intestines. Therefore offering peanuts that have
been roasted is the better option. However, wildlife rehabilitators
in the field have noted that neither raw nor roasted peanuts nor
sunflower seeds are healthy for squirrels,
because 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.
Squirrels are occasionally kept as household pets, provided they
are selected young enough and are hand raised in a proper fashion.
They can be taught to do tricks, and are said to be as intelligent
as
dogs in their ability to learn behaviors. Pet
squirrels are usually kept without cages, but large cage and a
balanced diet with good variety will keep a pet squirrel healthy
and happy. The pet owner must beware of "spring fever" at which
time a female pet squirrel will become very defensive of her cage,
considering it her nest, and will become somewhat aggressive to
defend the area.
As food
Squirrel meat is considered a favored meat in certain regions of
the United States where it can be listed as
wild game. This is evidenced by extensive recipes
for its preparation found in cookbooks, including older copies of
The Joy of Cooking.
Squirrel meat can be exchanged for
rabbit or
chicken in recipes, though it can have a
gamey taste. Unlike the healthfulness of most game meat, the
American Heart
Association has found squirrels to be high in
cholesterol.
In the U.S.
In many areas of the U.S., particularly areas of the
American South, squirrels are hunted
for food.
Republican Presidential
candidate Mike Huckabee mentioned
his experiences eating squirrel during the South Carolina
primary, saying that
"When I was in college, we used to take a popcorn popper, because
that was the only thing they would let us use in the dorm, and we
would fry squirrels in a popcorn popper in the dorm room."
He later told
Meet the Press
anchor
Tim Russert that squirrel
constitutes "a
Southern
delicacy". The Ramapough Mountain Indian
Tribe of New Jesery considered squirrel as an inherent
tradition.
In the U.K.
For most
of the history of the United Kingdom
, squirrel has been a meat not commonly eaten, and
even scorned by many.
But in the early 21st century, wild squirrel has become a more
popular meat to cook with, showing up in restaurants and shops more
often in Britain as a fashionable alternative meat. Specifically,
U.K. citizens are cooking with the invasive
gray squirrel, which is being praised
for its low fat content and the fact that it comes from
free range sources. Additionally, the novelty of
a meat considered unusual or special has added to the spread of
squirrel consumption. Due to the difficulty of a clean kill and
other factors, the majority of squirrel eaten in the U.K. is
acquired from professional hunters, trappers, and
gamekeepers.
Some British are eating the gray squirrel as a direct attempt to
help the native
red squirrel, which has
been dwindling since the introduction of the gray squirrel in the
19th century. This factor was marketed by a national "Save Our
Squirrels" campaign that used the slogan, “Save a red, eat a
gray!”
In culture
Despite periodic complaints about the animal as a pest, general
public opinion towards the animal is favorable, thanks to its
agreeable appearance, intelligence and its eating styles and
habits. Squirrels are popular characters in many forms of media,
such as the
literary works of
Beatrix Potter,
Brian Jacques'
Redwall
series (including
Jess Squirrel and
numerous other squirrels), Pattertwig in
C. S. Lewis'
Prince
Caspian, Michael Tod's Woodstock Saga of novels featuring
squirrel communities in the style of
Watership Down, and the Starwife and her
subjects from
Robin Jarvis's Deptford
novels. Squirrels are also popular characters in
cartoons, such as
Scrat from
Ice Age,
Slappy Squirrel of the
Animaniacs,
Sandy
Cheeks from
SpongeBob
SquarePants, Hammy from
Over
the Hedge, Benny in
The
Wild,
Rodney
from
Squirrel Boy,
Secret Squirrel,
Screwy Squirrel,
Nutty from
Happy Tree Friends, and
Rocky,
Bullwinkle's
adventuring partner.
Grace from the webcomic
El Goonish
Shive is often pictured as an anthropomorphic squirrel,
since it is her most natural and favored form.
Video games such as
Rare
's Conker series starring Conker the Squirrel, as well as Ocean Software's Mr.
Nutz. There is even a squirrel-themed super-heroine,
Squirrel Girl.
Albino squirrels
The
Albino Squirrel
Preservation Society was founded at the University of
Texas at Austin
in 2001, and its sister chapter at University of
North Texas
(UNT) petitioned for an election to name their
albino squirrel as the university's secondary mascot. The
student body narrowly rejected the call.
University of
Louisville
in Kentucky also has a documented population of
albino squirrels.
Olney,
Illinois
, known as
the "White Squirrel Capital of the World," is home of the world's
largest known albino-squirrel colony. These squirrels have
the right of way on all streets in the town, and are featured on
uniform patches of the local police department.
Kenton,
Tennessee
is home to about 200 albino squirrels.
There are
also albino squirrels on the main campus of Ohio State
University
in Columbus,
Ohio
. Brevard, North Carolina
and Marionville, Missouri
have a substantial population of white (not albino)
squirrels. Western Kentucky University
has a locally famous population of white
squirrels. Exeter, Ontario
in Canada is known for having non-albino white
squirrels, believed to be the result of a genetic mutation in the
early 20th century. Black Squirrels with white tips on their
tails are being noticed throughout Toronto
, Ontario
. White squirrels are also commonly seen in
Dayton,
Ohio
and on the campus of Youngstown
State University
in Youngstown, Ohio
. The snow belt in Western and Central New
York (Buffalo
, Rochester
, and Syracuse
) also has a significant white squirrel population
.
Red and grey squirrels in the UK
A decline of the
red squirrel and the
rise of the eastern grey squirrel has been widely remarked upon in
British popular culture. It is mostly regarded as the invading
greys driving out the native red species. Evidence also shows that
grey squirrels are vectors of the
Squirrel parapoxvirus for which no
vaccine is presently available and which is deadly to red squirrels
but does not seem to affect the host.
Currently the red
squirrel only resides in a few isolated areas of the UK, notably in
Scotland, and in England Formby
, the
Lake
District
, Brownsea
Island
, and the Isle of Wight
. Special measures are in place to contain
and remove any infiltration of grey squirrels into these
areas.
Under British law, the eastern grey squirrel is regarded as
vermin, and at one point it was illegal to
release any into the wild; any caught had to be either destroyed or
kept captive. In 2008 the law was altered, allowing those with the
proper license to release captured grey squirrels.
Gallery
File:Eichhörnchen Düsseldorf Hofgarten edit.jpg|A Red Squirrel with pronounced winter ear
tuftsFile:Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel Sulphur
Mountain Banff.jpg|Curious Golden-mantled Ground
Squirrels on the top of Sulphur Mountain near Banff,
Alberta
.File:Japanese Squirrel edit2.jpg|A Japanese
Squirrel.File:CaliforniaGroundSquirrel3800ppx.jpg|A California Ground Squirrel
(Otospermophilus beecheyi) in La Jolla,
California.
See also
References
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