INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT SQUIRRELS

UNKNOWN INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT  SQUIRRELS

Squirrels communicate with each other through various scent marking. They also use their tails as a signalling device, twitching it when uneasy to alert other squirrels of potential danger. Squirrels get lots of attention from humans, but not always much appreciation. There are more than 200 squirrel species worldwide, from tree squirrels and flying squirrels to chipmunks and marmots. They're all in the Sciuridae family, which is native to every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

FACTS ABOUT SQUIRRELS

Type: Mammal (Rodent)

Diet: Omnivore, although they are predominantly herbivorous

Lifespan: 2-5 years, with larger species tending to live longer

Size: 8-70 cm long depending on species

Weight: 10 g – 8 kg depending on species

Habitat: Adapted to a huge range of habitat from tropical rainforest to semiarid desert

Range: The Americas, Europe and Asia, with an introduced 

population in Australasia

Scientific name: Sciuridae

 If you live in a big city, you probably see wildlife on a regular basis. Namely, you're sure to run into a lot of squirrels, even in the densest urban areas. And if you happen to live on a college campus, well, you're probably overrun with them. While some people might view them as adorable, others see them as persistent pests bent on chewing on and nesting in everything in sight.

Squirrels breed in February and March in winter, and in June and July in summer. Females may become pregnant up to twice a year. Usually 4-6 young are born, after a gestation period (pregnancy) of around 39 days. Only the mother looks after the young, which are born completely helpless. Young squirrels are deaf and blind during the first few weeks of their life.

Squirrels are extremely intelligent creatures. They are known to put on elaborate bogus food burying displays to deceive onlookers. The fake burials are to trick potential thieves, such as other squirrels or birds, into thinking that they have stored their food stock there. Any observers planning on taking the stash will then focus on the bogus burial site, allowing the squirrel to bury the real stash elsewhere safely.

Red squirrels were widespread in the UK until the 1940 but suffered a sharp decline in numbers and are now classified as an endangered species. Their threatened status is largely down to the rise of the grey squirrel population, due to their larger and more robust nature and transmission of the squirrel pox virus.

Squirrel are very unique species in this world its our individual responsibility to take care of that. I hope that will helpful for you.