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Squirrels-The little Rodents

September 10, 2022 3 min read

Squirrels-The little Rodents

The small sized rodents family Sciuridae has this amazing omnivores, namely the squirrels. The word squirrel is derived from a Greek word meaning “shade tail.”
Pc: Unsplash 
One of the amazing fact about squirrels is that they can hibernate for long periods and found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

Type of Squirrels:

There are at least 200 species of this little creature and most commonly they are of three different types, such as
  • Tree Squirrels
  • Ground Squirrels
  • Flying Squirrels

Tree Squirrels:

The most commonly found squirrels everywhere are tree squirrels. These type of squirrels are diurnal and arboreal. They live on trees crowns, vine tangles or tree hollows and often seeing jumping from one tree to another. They eat nuts, tree barks, berries, eggs, flowers, acorns, tree sap as well as baby birds.
Pc: Unsplash 

Ground Squirrels:

Ground squirrels mostly live near ground growth areas, abandoned places with little disturbance. They feed on insects, nuts, seeds, birds, leaves, roots. They communicate with one another by making whistling calls. 
Pc: Unsplash 

Flying Squirrels:

Flying Squirrels are actually adaptable squirrels they are adapted to the birds’ lifestyle, although they do not fly, but they glide in air. They can leap at about 150 feet. Flying squirrels has the flaps of skin which form a wing like structure by connecting the limbs with the body. 
Pc: Unsplash

Squirrels General Characteristics:

  • Squirrels have lanky slender bodies, the body is covered with gray, red, black, white yellow or brown fur
  • The fur is sot and smooth, while their tail is bushy. The fur thickness and color varies from species to species. 
Pc: Pixabay 
  • The size vary from 8 cm-46 cm, while the weight varies from 20 g-3 kg. The African pygmy squirrel is the smallest and present in West Africa and Oriental giant squirrels of Southeast Asian tropical forest are the largest one.
  • They have big eyes and their eyes shine bright as an alert signal. The ears are small and rounded, covered with tiny fine hairs.
  • Squirrels have 4 front teeth like all other rodents and these teeth continue to grow. They use their incisors for gnawing.
  • The limbs are muscular and strong, the claws are large, strong, curved and sharp. The forefeet are long and has four-digit with a short thumb, while the hind feet are narrow and five-toed. 

Interesting facts about Squirrels:

  • Squirrels are very intelligent, their brain is well-developed and work on the visual aid.
  • They have very good sense of touch because of the flashy pads on their feet.
  • They have amazing trusting personality although solitary mammal, but some people keep this as pet.
Pc: Pexels 
  • Furthermore, they can survive up to 10 years in wild habitat, while in captivity the average lifespan is 22 years
  • Squirrels are incredible planners, before harsh weather they store their food. 

Squirrel Hunting:

Squirrel hunting is a worthwhile pursuit in itself, as well as a better opportunity to practice. They are challenging small game due to sudden and swift movements.

When and Where to Hunt:

Make sure you know the state rules and regulations about a certain type of squirrel, as each state has its own hunting laws. The best squirrel hunting season is the mid-fall season as the squirrels prefer the clear sunny weather. They are mostly active during the daytime. The best time is the dawn and dusk hours. However, the second hour after dawn is the ideal time for squirrel hunting. If there is a little drizzle or fog, you are surely going to enjoy the good squirrel hunt.
They are present all over in the United States, specifically in the areas of densely grown wooded forests. First, search the tree near the water source.

Some Squirrel Hunting Tips and Techniques:

  • Search the areas with abundant food sources.
  • Observe the signs like nutshells, scratched tree barks and other such signs indicate the presence of squirrels in the locality.
  • Squirrels do not like certain smell like white paper, mint, vinegar, cinnamon, coffee or garlic smell so do not use such repellents.
  • Wear camo hunting clothes.
  • Be patient and prefer slow hunting, don’t be too quick to make movements.
  • Spend as much time as you can before leaving a certain spot, if you wait for a little longer you will surely get some more squirrels as bonus.
  • Stand still behind a tree and try to focus on squirrels calls they are making to communicate with each other, it will help you to locate their exact location.
  • Lastly, share your experience and some delicious squirrel recipes with us.

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