Squirrels typically eat nuts, seeds, acorns, mushrooms, insects, and leaves, but they will also feast on food if it is readily available in a garden or yard. They can cause many other problems. Squirrels often eat seeds from bird feeders. They also have been known to chew the openings of birdhouses and eat nesting birds.…
Seven ground squirrels found south of Boise, Idaho have tested positive for plague, a bacterial disease that affects rodents. Plague can also cause serious illness in humans and pets if it is not treated promptly. The discovery has prompted Idaho Fish and Game officials to issue a warning to the public. Rodents that can be…
A team of researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada studied the behavior of red squirrels to learn about how their personalities change over time. They found that the squirrels’ behavior tends to become more average as they get older. Young squirrels tend to have extreme personalities that become more average over time. Aggressive…
If you have ever planted a garden, you have probably had to deal with squirrels. The critters can eat fruits, vegetables, and flowers; dig up seeds; and be hard to keep away. There are several ways to know if squirrels have invaded your garden. You might see shallow digging (holes the size of golf balls…
Biology professor Joseph Whittaker and a team of students at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota are tracking squirrels on campus to learn more about their behavior. Two students spent two months mapping the entire Concordia campus, including every tree, before they began tracking the squirrels. This allowed them to plot the places on campus where…
If you set up a bird feeder in your yard, you will probably find that the free food attracts other animals, namely squirrels. The creatures can be determined and acrobatic when they want to get at seeds. Squirrels can jump 10 feet from a tree or rooftop or five feet from the ground to get…
Gray and red squirrels are two common tree-dwelling species. While both are adept at tree climbing, they are different in many other important ways. Gray squirrels eat acorns, hickory nuts, beechnuts, butternuts, and walnuts and therefore tend to live in forests with trees that bear nuts. When a gray squirrel finds a nut, it will…
Two new studies have found that squirrels and beavers contribute more to climate change than previously thought. Arctic ground squirrels melt permafrost when they burrow. Permafrost preserves dead animals and vegetation underground for hundreds of years. The squirrels’ feces also fertilize the soil, which allows microbes to thrive. These microbes decompose dead plants and animals,…
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Red squirrels living in the Yukon experience a significant amount of stress, even if they have plenty of food available. During times of high population growth, red squirrels breed earlier in the year and give birth to smaller litters that grow up faster. Ben Dantzer at the University of Michigan and colleagues at the Kluane…