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15 Amazing Facts About Squirrels

Ever paused to see a squirrel darting through a park or climbing a tree? These cute animals are famous for their fast movements, bushy tails, and love of nuts. Nevertheless, did you know that squirrels are more than just adorable, fuzzy creatures?

You might be surprised to learn some unexpected facts about these tiny animals. Squirrels are incredibly fascinating animals, with traits such as their excellent memory and the capacity to glide through the air. Let’s take a look at these 15 amazing facts about squirrels that will make you appreciate them even more.

1. Squirrels are able to smell food under a foot of snow

Did you know that squirrels have an exceptional sense of smell? Because of their highly evolved smelling sense, these little animals can find food even under a foot of snow. Squirrels use their sense of smell to find hidden reserves of nuts and seeds throughout the winter when food is scarce. They can discover food in even the most difficult situations because of their great sense of smell, which allows them to pick up on smells that people cannot smell. 

2. Squirrels front teeth never stop growing

Squirrel teeth continue to grow through their lifetimes, in comparison to human teeth, which stop growing after a certain age. This is because of the fact that they regularly nibble on nuts, seeds, and other tough items, wearing down their teeth. Their teeth eventually wear down to nothing if they didn’t continue to develop, leaving them incapable of eating. Squirrels chew on things continually to wear their teeth down so they don’t get too long. This amazing adaptation shows that squirrels have strong, sharp teeth that can pierce even the toughest nutshells.

3. Squirrels have a hard time keeping an eye on all their hidden food

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Have you ever seen a squirrel hiding nuts and seeds for later? Despite having a fantastic memory of where they have stashed their food in the past, these little animals still struggle to keep track of all of their secret stores.

Squirrels usually lose track of where they’ve concealed some of their food since there are so many different places to keep track of. In actuality, a lot of the seeds and nuts that squirrels bury wind up being lost and never being recovered. The next time you see a squirrel hiding food, keep this in mind because it may not remember where it was.

4. Squirrels run away in a zig-zag pattern when running away from predators

Peter Trimming / Red Squirrel on Brownsea Island, Dorset

A squirrel has a unique way of trying to flee while it is being chased by a predator. Squirrels don’t run straight; they move in a zigzag fashion to throw off their predator. It is challenging for predators like foxes and birds of prey to catch them because of their unpredictable running patterns. Also, while running away, the zigzag pattern helps squirrels get around obstacles like rocks and trees. It’s a fantastic survival strategy that has assisted squirrels in avoiding predators for ages.

5. Squirrels know how to deceive thieves

Squirrels are known for their cleverness, and this trait is evident in the way they guard their food. These small animals have a special talent for fooling potential food robbers like birds and other squirrels. Squirrels usually hide food in multiple locations, forming a sort of “scattered cache,” as opposed to burying all of their nuts and seeds in one location. They might also pretend to bury food in one spot while actually burying it somewhere else. If another animal is watching, they will believe they know where the food is hidden but will actually be misled.

6. A newborn squirrel is an inch long

The squirrels you see may be furry with long tails and big eyes but what you probably didn’t know is that squirrels have some of the tiniest animals you’ll ever see. The little animals are born hairless, and blind and depend on their mother’s milk for warmth and nutrition (more like humans when we’re newborns). Baby squirrels like other animals take their time before they start exploring their environment and spend a significant amount of their time in their mother’s care. 

7. Squirrels are acrobatic, intelligent, and adaptable

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Squirrels are among the world’s most athletic, observant, and adaptable animals. Though they are small, they are able to run along tight branches and easily jump from one tree to another.

They are built in a fantastic way that allows them to figure out complex issues as clearly demonstrated by how they guard their food and deceive those they perceive as their enemies. Squirrels are able to adapt to a wide range of environments easily, from deep forests to modern populated parks.

8. Squirrels put on some extra weight to prepare for winter

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Squirrels start preparing for the long winter as the days get shorter and the temperature decreases. They do this, among other things, by gaining weight. Squirrels will gorge on nuts, seeds, and other high-calorie items during the fall months in order to store as much energy as they can for the next winter. In just a few weeks, some squirrels can actually double their body weight! In addition to keeping them warm during the winter, this extra weight also gives them a much-needed source of energy during times of food scarcity.

9. Squirrels have contributed to tree growth

Unbelievably, squirrels have helped trees develop in a number of ways. Burying seeds and nuts in the ground is one of the main ways they do this. These nuts and seeds may start to grow and develop into new trees when squirrels forget about them or are unable to uncover all of their concealed caches. In fact, some researchers have said that squirrels grow millions of trees a year!

As they move around and scatter food scraps, squirrels also aid in the spreading of the seeds of other plants and trees. So, the next time you see a squirrel running around, keep in mind that it’s not simply seeking food; it also has an important part to play in the ecosystem.

10. They can create “rattle perfume”

A 2008 study discovered that some squirrels collect old rattlesnake skin, chew it up, and then lick their fur to produce a sort of “rattlesnake perfume” that protects them from olfactory-dependent predators, specifically other rattlesnakes who find the smell of ground squirrel mixed with rattlesnake scent to be less palatable than just plain ground squirrel.

11. They may help prevent brain damage

Research supported by the National Institutes of Health suggests that a trait of hibernating ground squirrels may help prevent brain damage in stroke victims (NIH). Similar to how humans feel after a certain kind of stroke, squirrels’ brains suffer from dramatically reduced blood supply while they hibernate.

But, after hibernating, squirrels come out of it unharmed. According to a news release from the NIH, researchers think that a prospective medicine based on these squirrels’ adaptability “may offer the same resilience to the brains of ischemic stroke patients by duplicating the molecular alterations that protect those animals’ brains.”

12. Squirrels can panic and attack if they feel threatened by humans

Beware, because if a squirrel sees you as a threat just be ready for a disease. They don’t carry rabies but they can infect you with Borrelia burgdorferi which is the cause of the infection known as Lyme disease. This illness can infect humans through ticks that squirrels carry. If you’re ever bitten by a squirrel you are required to visit a hospital and get some antibiotics to prevent these issues. 

13. Female squirrels tend to mate with multiple male squirrels

Who knew that female squirrels are this liberated? Though they usually experience the heat for a few hours, for those hours they can mate with multiple squirrels. Even though the females are liberated it doesn’t mean that the male doesn’t have to work a little harder, the male has to chase the female (literally) then once he gets her the mating takes one to 25 minutes as long as she’s on heat. 

Male squirrels are quite competitive. The first is to attack a different male who is actively mating with the female. The male will wait somewhere in the female’s area in order to catch her before other males do. Protecting the female squirrel from other males is the second. Giving a call that imitates an anti-predator call is part of this catchy plan. Other guys will freeze and hide in response to this. After a female mate with another male, the next step is to remove the copulatory plug from her genital area.

14. Some types of squirrels can have more than 10 babies at a time

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Depending on the nest size, eastern grey squirrels can have 2 to 9 young. Their young will appear pink and lack fur when their eyes are closed. For around two months, the mother will keep them warm by nursing them continuously. The mother will support the baby squirrels even after they begin leaving the nest.

The mother will start mating once the squirrels are prepared to leave her. Every three to eight months, American red squirrels give birth to young. Fox squirrels and flying squirrels both give birth to 2 to 7 young twice a year.

15. The black giant squirrel is the biggest squirrel in the world

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Black giant squirrels are considered one of the largest species. Its tail is a further 50 to 60 centimetres in length, bringing its total length to roughly 35 to 50 centimetres.

In addition, they can weigh more than 1.5 kilogrammes. They are usually found in Asia and are uncommon in towns or plantations and often prefer the wild. To eat on the ground, they occasionally drop from the forest canopy.

Is there anything we left out? feel free to let us know. The next time you see a squirrel, we challenge you to observe and tick off anything from this list that looks familiar of course, don’t intimidate a squirrel or you may end up in a hospital.