Most people think of these animals as being kind of ordinary. Admittedly they can cause an awful lot of damage on your property. They are also very annoying when they dig up bulbs we spent so long planting or when you need to protect your bird feeder from squirrels. But did you know that squirrels often engage in behaviour that is downright bizarre? After reading these facts about squirrels you’ll never look at them in the same way again.
7 strange facts about squirrels you might not know
1. Squirrels often build decoy larders
In preparation for winter, squirrels will store up a cache of food. Unfortunately, these are often raided by other squirrels, birds, and even foxes. In fact, it’s estimated that squirrels can lose about a quarter of their buried hoard. To prevent this, squirrels will often create a decoy cache. They do this by pretending to bury nuts while other squirrels are watching.
2. Squirrels are foresters
Here’s one of the most interesting facts about squirrels. Did you know these animals are indirectly responsible for planting thousands of trees? The simple reason is because they do not always dig up the nuts they bury. Obviously, many of these nuts will germinate and grow into trees.
3. Some squirrels can fly
Here’s something truly strange for our list of facts about squirrels. Did you know that a species (known as the flying squirrel) can actually “fly.” What this really means is that these animals use flaps of skin between their limbs to glide. Given weather conditions, they can often do this for as far as 100-300 feet.
4. Their teeth never stop growing
Here’s something that very few people know: squirrels are actually classed as rodents. Yes, these animals are extremely similar to rats and mice and like those pests, their teeth never stop growing. This also means that squirrels must continually gnaw on something in order to keep their teeth short.
5. Squirrels are responsible for power outages
As mentioned in the fun squirrel fact above, these animals must continually gnaw. One of the things squirrels love chewing on are electrical cables. It’s estimated that squirrels are responsible for hundreds of power issues around the country, even more than bad weather.
6. You can now find squirrel meat on the menu
Squirrel meat is now being used by chefs around the world. A good example of this is chef Paul Wedgewood of Edinburgh, who’s restaurant offers a six course squirrel meat menu. According to people who have tried it, squirrel meat is nutty, mellow, and similar in taste to game meat.
7. They escape predators using a zigzag pattern
When being pursued, squirrels do not run in a straight line. This puts them at risk of being caught. Instead, they dodge and weave in a zigzag, which greatly increases their chances of escaping.