That's
just
Squirrely!
Hey kids! Did you learn anything
about slugs in the March issue of
Official Kids Mag? We sure did! This
month we're going to take a closer
look at a feisty little creature who
is always busy scurrying around.
Squirrels.
Squirrels are fast climbers especially
when going up and down trees. To
help them climb down trees head
first, their ankles turn 180 degrees to
face in any direction so they can grip
the tree coming down without falling.
Squirrel feet are odd because they
have four toes on the front feet and five
toes on the hind feet.
Squirrels are backyard acrobats able to
climb fences, jump from tree limb to tree
limb and are smart enough to get into
most bird feeders. Squirrels can jump
about 15 feet, and can grab a limb or
tree trunk after falling 20 feet or more.
When running, they can bounce along in
two to three feet strides, almost dancing
across the ground.
Tree nests, called dreys, are what
they build to live in. They usually live in
deciduous trees (the ones that lose all
the leaves in the winter). Sometimes
they manage to get into a building attic
and build a nest. They can make a mess
by chewing on wires, so if you see one
at your house coming in and out of a
building, make sure you alert your adult.
Chewing on wires is a fire hazard.
Speaking of chewing, another weird
fact about squirrels is their front
teeth never stop growing. They
keep them worn down by
chewing on all the nuts they
find. They eat fruit and nuts
from trees such as red and
white oak, hickory and
beech. They store their
food by burying it all
over. It's common to
see little holes in the
grass where squirrels
have been digging. In
the Spring, some of the
nuts they buried have
started to sprout and can't be eaten,
so they may get hungry enough to also
prey upon insects, frogs, small rodents
including other squirrels, and small
birds, their eggs. During the gardening
season, squirrels also raid gardens for
tomatoes, corn, strawberries, and
other garden crops.
Fox squirrels and gray squirrels
are the most common in Arkansas,
and you can often tell the the young
squirrels from the old by how fluffy
their tail is. The tails of the young
squirrels aren't as fluffy.
16 • APRIL 2020 • Of f icialKidsMag.com
