![]() The next time you spot a squirrel in your yard or at the park, see if you can catch it in a deceitful dig. They will also bury nuts several times, to throw off potential thieves. To deter furry freeloaders, squirrels will sometimes pretend to bury nuts and seeds in case they are being watched. ![]() It’s hard work gathering nuts to last the winter (3,000–10,000 by some estimates 6), so squirrels don’t want other animals stealing their stash. ![]() Incidentally, their propensity for chewing cavities in trees benefits not only the squirrel but also other animals that move in after them. If threatened by a predator or other dangers in the environment, they pack up the kits and move to a second or third home. But in case of emergencies, squirrels keep extra nests nearby. Squirrels generally build their nests by chewing holes in trees (or sometimes your attic). Though squirrels can’t seem to make up their mind which side of the road they want to be on, God equipped squirrels with prudent forethought and clever resourcefulness. But a closer look past their annoying habits reveals a creature designed by the Creator with some not-so-nutty-actually brilliant-behaviors. They dash haphazardly in front of cars 2 they chew on wires, insulation, and even bones 3 and they loot bird feeders. However, far from appreciating them, most people consider these rascally rodents to be pests. Given my history with squirrels, I’m happy that we have a day celebrating these little creatures on January 21, Squirrel Appreciation Day. One day, Earl leaped to the nearest branch and launched into the great beyond. And not long ago my dad found a baby squirrel, named him Earl, and raised him in his shirt pocket for weeks. In a fallen tree, my brother once found three squirrel kits (baby squirrels), which we took to a rescue sanctuary. When I was a little girl, my dad rescued a flying squirrel and let me help nurse it back to health. In fact, throughout my life, I’ve encountered quite a few up close. 1 It’s hard to go anywhere without running into a squirrel. Africa has the tiny two-inch pygmy squirrel India has the giant squirrel, which is three feet long and weighs four pounds and Kazakhstan has the nearly 20-pound gray marmot. Some states have black squirrels, and Brevard, North Carolina, is famous for its white squirrels. Red and gray squirrels are common in the United States. Squirrels live on almost every continent in the world and come in many sizes and colors. The squirrel family (Sciuridae) is quite extensive, including species such as chipmunks, flying squirrels, and ground squirrels (among them woodchucks and prairie dogs).
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