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Call for questions: SQUIRRELS (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-23 19:06:38
Edited:
2023-05-23 19:20:59
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

You heard that right. IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING. I have been chasing down my dream squirrel expert for 3 years, and finally landed an interview for tomorrow. 

Leave those squirrel questions below and pray for me that I don't physically collapse from the thrill of this. 

Frigging ... skwurls, people.

Yessssss,

Yur Dadward

Comments

Matt Hirschl

Why are they so fluffyyyy and cute????

Cassandra Grafstrom

1) Why are the squirrels at the University of Michigan SO MUCH FATTER than in any other urban location I've ever seen?

Tara McNee

WHY AREN’T THEY DOMESTICATED?! we have wayyyy weirder/less devastatingly cute animals domesticated. Why can’t I have a pet squirrel?!

Lindsey

How many squirrels (approx) live in the US? And how many types are there??

RJ Doidge

Is it true their tails are used for balance? Also…they can fucking fly??? Plz elaborate. WHO RUN THE WORLD? 🐿️

Anna Thompson

Is it flimflam DC has "special" squirrels because some escaped from the Zoo years ago?

GenusByGenus

UofM squirrels are so ridiculously fat omg. Those things are basically cannonballs.

Adam Silk

Are there any at risk squirrel populations people should be aware of?

Jess Chrzan

1)Why are there so many black squirrels in central Illinois but almost none in northern IL, in/around Chicago?? 2) How do they know where to find their buried treasures??

Seán Thomas Kane

This will be a joyous episode, I hope! Can you explain the variation in fur color between different squirrel species? I've only ever seen black squirrels in Queen's Park in Toronto and around the University of Toronto campus for example.

Hannah nolen

I have an adorable chunky pair of squirrels that unfortunately live in my attic. How do I deter them without harming them!

RJ Doidge

I dare say you haven’t seen Rutgers squirrels…

Sharon Rietveld

Why so fluff and take up sp much room in my heart?

Verena Runstadler

How do they fall out of a tree from such a height and then go right back up the tree? I feel like they would be injured??

Clay Mohrman

What’s the deal with the different colors of squirrels and their geographic distribution? Like I’ve seen a ton of melanistic grey squirrels in Ohio and Toronto Canada. But none in New England? What’s the deal?

Katie Wood

On behalf of my husband, who is constantly trolled by the surprisingly clever little guys, what is the best way to deter them from bird feeders?

Maggie Ginoza

First time question asker! It has always been my dream to pet a live squirrel. But I have enough common sense to not chase around the park squirrels seeking friendship. Have you ever pet a squirrel and if so was it glorious?

Doug Koekkoek

Was the squirrel secretly a US spy ordered to follow Boris and Natasha? How did he meet the Moose. First time question asker.

Finlay

Why do squirrels love to taunt my dog by running up and down trees. I swear they're doing it on purpose

Adam Foote

Are squirrels in a perpetual state of fear of being eaten or have they evolved so that the constant danger doesn't stress them out? It seems like the life of a prey animal would be extremely stressful.

Adam Weaver

Have they heard The White Stripes song Little Acorns and do they find it inspiring?

Handrea

What is the smallest space they can squeeze their furry butts into?

Doctor (almost!) Elder

People eat squirrel, but are they tasty? How prevalent is squirrel meat consumption? Are they safe to eat?

Michael Swords

What's are good ways to establish boundaries with the tree rats? My back porch is screened in, but they LOVE to chew through the screen. My tree dense neighborhood loves them, but my porch screen doesn't.

Diane Heise

I have a white squirrel that lives in my yard. Why is he/her white? They are pretty common in my town.

Brenna Quirk

why do they make that chirping/barking noise?? i always think it’s a bird and it confuses me every time

Sharon Rietveld

Also I grew up in Hawaii and always yearned for the day I could watch squirrels in my backyard. I live in Wisconsin now. Why no squirrels in Hawaii?

Emily Staw-fur

Are squirrels actually obsessed with acorns? If not why is that the depiction we always get?

Megan Skye

Why are they so vulnerable to getting hit by cars?? Hate seeing so many of them killed

Ellie

Squirrel varieties? (color, size, etc) I grew up in the north and those squirrels are nothing like the ones in the south.

CoffeeLeaf90

How do they communicate? It sounds like a chirp or squeak?

Annmarie Everhart

Why does my dog try to chase squirrels all the time and what would he do if he caught one? 😢

Kaeleigh Stenglw

No particular question, but I am sure my almost two year old daughter would like to lend her expertise and let everyone know what when asked “where did the squirrel go?” The correct answer is “up a tree.” Perhaps they can provide her with confirmation! Haha

Kathi

Is it allowed to feed them? I told a friend off once because I thought it’s bad

Andy Guarnaccia

Not a question, but I wanted to share that when I was little, a kids book convinced me that squirrels "evolved" into chipmunks (like Pokemon).

Patricia G

Many questions here:How can you tell if squirrels are carrying a disease? Should we go into any interaction with a squirrel with the mindset that it might have a pathogen? Also, are squirrels smart enough to “taunt” our pets? Squirrels constantly seem like they’re baiting my dog to chase them when he’s inside.

Chris Whitman

What does the fast tail twitching mean? Are they communicating something with their tails?

Faith Novella

What’s the deal with eastern grey squirrels being invasive in Europe? What impacts do they have and how are people trying to stop them from spreading?

Sarah Weiler

Can I make squirrels be my friends? How would I do that? Should I?

EdNoGG

Where do i begin!? Are they a actual scared of us as they let on? I’ve witnessed the elderly woman at the park almost daily feeding birds and squirrels but the maintain 6 feet at all times. Why is this? Why are city squirrels not friendly!? They’re so cute! 😭 let me pet you!!

Emily Staw-fur

Why/how are their movements so quick?

Kate Webb

First time question asker! There are species of flying squirrel in Michigan that fluoresce. Has this been found in other squirrel species and is there an evolutionary reason for this trait?

Mowana Lomaomvaya

I hit a squirrel for the first time in all my driving years last week and FELT SO BAD. I saw it spin and fall flat in the middle of the road, but when I drove back the same way later, it was gone. Hopefully it was food for something else? Do we know how many squirrels become roadkill a year? Does that help create food for other animals?

Megan Lynch

Though Ceratonia siliqua (carob) is not native to the US, many Eastern Grey Squirrels in SoCal (another introduced species), have learned to break into the raw pods and eat the seeds. Is this a behavior they already did with a species native to their own habitat or something a single pioneer squirrel has learned and taught? If so, how quickly can a new behavior be spread through squirreldom?

Patricia G

One more: are squirrels omnivores? I found one eating a hot dog bun in a tree a few weeks ago. 🫠

Kendall M

Listen, squirrels destroy my dad’s fig tree every friggin year, so I’m not the biggest fan of them. HOWEVER, I am willing to keep an open mind, so what are your reasons for loving squirrels? What are squirrels’ best qualities?

Leon Bick

Why are the squirrels in DC black? Are they a different breed?

Jess Donald

OMG OMG OMG FTQA - What's the deal with squirrels and crows? They steal and kill each others babies... they harass each other (crows dive bomb them and the squirrels yell at the crows). Is this just my neighbourhood? Are they mortal enemies?

Aubrey Nelson

Why do they like to play chicken with cars?

Diana Staresinic-Deane

I'm in East Central Kansas, and the red squirrels and gray squirrels are battling for territory. The gray squirrels are mostly winning, some squirrels have questionable parentage, and they have declared a truce over the maple tree in my yard with both red and gray squirrel nests on opposite sites of the tree. What is going on here? There were no gray squirrels in our town 10 years ago!

Samantha Freeman

How rare are black squirrels? Are they a separate type of squirrel? Growing up there was always one black squirrel that frequented our yard among a bunch of grey/ reddish fox squirrels.

Bonnie Detwiller

Are black squirrels really not that common? I'm in Vancouver and every time I tell people/show pictures of black squirrels in my yard they always freak out because they're black and didn't know they could look that way.

Rebecca Davis

Is it true that squirrels plant hundreds of trees by forgetting where they buried nuts? If so, how significant is their contribution as little foresters?

Missy Ruminski

1st time question asker! Do squirrels bully/taunt/mess with humans or is it just me?

Julia

Have you seen Mark Robers squirrel obstacle course videos because I think they would spark joy for you FTQA

James Jakes

My high school biology teacher told us that competing male squirrels will try to castrate each other to better ensure their lineage. Is this true!?

Doctor (almost!) Elder

I hear that California is getting invaded by non native species of squirrel, is this a thing and if so, how does it affect our native environment?

Allison P

First time question asker! How do I get squirrels to stop stealing my sunflowers? They like the cherry tomatoes too, thankfully I have enough of those to share.

Michael Ramsey

Do squirrels beg? I swear one of our back deck regulars sits up on its haunches and makes a little prayer gesture. Yes, I do feed them a little bit. Oh, we f%^&*( love this show, thanks!

EdNoGG

Ooooh yes! This question is on my mind too!

Jess Donald

Why do squirrels "yell" at my dog? Are they trying to scare her off? Are they warning their other squirrel friends?

Sharon Rietveld

I saw squirrels in South Carolina and the males always had such big ... nutsacks... but now, in Wisconsin, I don't see them hanging loose at all. Why? Also we have an albino squirrel in the neighborhood. I have named him Noodle.

Claire Johnson

I've heard before that they only find about 30% of the food they hide/ bury during the year, is that true? Are they even hiding their food?

Levi Crandall

Why do squirrels feel the need to run in front of my car, do they have a death wish? I don’t wanna hit the little guys.

Anna Frazier

can we just talk about squirrel midden? i am an outdoor educator in alaska and the kiddos LOVE to hear about how these litter bugs leave their trash everywhere. is there anything special we can learn from midden?

Lazer Introlegator

Is it true that squirrels front teeth continuously grow their entire lives? If yes, why haven't I seen any squirrels with teeth dragging on the floor? Also they are so cute and they ate almonds out of my hands and bit me when I dared to offer them a cashew instead. I have not learned my lesson.

Laurel

Film flam/urban myths? The black squirrels in Palo Alto are an escaped experiment from Stanford University (or which ever version you've heard)

Frank E. Curtis

First-time asker: Once in college (College of William and Mary) I saw an adult squirrel running with another adult squirrel in its mouth. That's it. That's the question.

Amanda Lask

First time question asker! What the hell is up with the wave hand motion thing supposedly mind-controlling squirrels?

Laureen evans

How do squirrels remember where they store all of their nuts? Do they have just one place or many?

Jess Donald

How many nuts can they fit in their mouths? Oh gosh that sounds inappropriate.

Laurel

What's up with "the wave thing" from TikTok? My friend did it and a aquire ran right up to her! Is it because it mimics their tail language visually?

Taylor Faulkner

How do they remember all the places they buried their acorns?! I can’t remember where I put my keys half the time.

Diana Teeter

Is it a myth that they forget where they bury nuts? I swear that the squirrels in my neighborhood make beelines in the yards to spots and more often then not they find something…is this chance? Is my neighborhood just filled with buried squirrel food, or are they following their mental maps to a specific nut?

Ann Eby

What’s up with squirrel proof bird feeders? Not only do they totally not work because squirrels are geniuses but squirrels deserve food too! Can we feed squirrels?

Jeff Berg

I feel like I’ve heard squirrels are actually pretty good at finding the nuts they bury, and they do it by peeing on them and being able to track them down by smell. Did I make this up in a dream?

Diana Staresinic-Deane

We have black squirrels in one Kansas town thanks to a traveling circus!

Abby Grieb

What is their typical diet and their favorite food? I would guess walnuts, based on the amount of walnuts we find stashed in our garage every fall by our backyard squirrels

Dave DeBaeremaeker

So, just between you and me, Bullwinkle was just comic relief right? Rocky was the real reason Boris and Natasha were so ineffective.

Jesse Hurlburt

How often do they locate their buried nuts, like percentage wise? How do they go out and find the ones they hid. I once heard that they will watch other squirrels bury their nuts just so they can get them to be dicks, truth or flim flam?

Abby Grieb

Related, how do I keep them out of my garage haha

Brian McGlynn

Why are squirrels such dicks, coming into my dog’s yard and taunting her from above?

Jamie Cull-Host

Why have we not domesticated squirrels? I want a pet squirrel

Kathy Connelly

We have gray squirrels and red squirrels in our yard in Minneapolis by Bde Maka Ska. Everything I’ve said said the two types can’t interbreed but we also have smallish “gray” squirrels with roan backs and tails. They are not actual red squirrels. Did the squirrels not read the same materials I have? Or is this natural variation in gray squirrel size and coloration?

Nina Giacobbe

Why do they taunt me by leaving half eaten strawberries in the edge of my garden?

Jesse Hurlburt

Do different species get along. I feel like the gray and red squirrel's in my yard hate one another and are in an all out war

Piper Warnick

First time question asker! Why do they seem so dumb? Running out in front of cars then stopping and running back? Why not keep going?? They are like blonde jokes on leggings!

JENN 'Benthopelagic squirrel' ALVAREZ

If you wanted an interview, you could have just asked me directly 😂 but seriously, I saw a video of a dude doing arm waves and it supposedly attracts squirrels. True or nah?

Leila Laco

Are flying squirrels closely related to 'walking' squirrels or is the name a misnomer?

Nicole D-G

I've seen videos of squirrels on obstacle courses with wiggly obstacles or otherwise challenging things to climb/walk across -- how do they do it?? Is it smarts? The tail and balance? Some unique perception ability?

Sage Scarberry

I would like to know about squirrel relationships and society. When they talk to each other they do that lil clicky sound and flick their tails so much. Can you help me read their minds? When is a squirrel saying “get off my branch” vs let’s get it on”? Also why are they constantly chasing each other so aggressively lol, do they have anger problems?

Amy Narimatsu

Would you rather fight 50 normal sized squirrels or 1 rhino sized squirrel? Also, what do you find the most fascinating about squirrels? They're so common that I feel like most people just don't appreciate them as much as they could!

Fiorelily

Ok, I'm so hyped for SQUIRREL! I've got a doozy of a dumb question, but I can't get it out of my head. So when you look through a back-lit squirrel tail, it looks all skinny. And we know they use their tails in balancing. So, if you shave the fluff off down to the skinny tail, does that make for squirrels missing their jumps like someone too many beers in attempting to hurdle their neighbors short fence?

Christina Pfaff

What is the maximum height a squirrel can fall from without sustaining damage? My husband and I witnessed a squirrel falling out of a 50' tree and scampering off like nothing happened. Could a squirrel fall out of a plane at 30,000' and survive due to its bushy tail impacting its terminal velocity?

Rachel

I love squirrels and I love watching them! Is there a responsible way to put up a squirrel feeder, or is that just a terrible idea?

Marijke Decuir

(Mah-rye-kah) Are there any bird feeders that work to keep out squirrels? Or any feed they will not eat but birds will? Why do squirrels leave treats/leftovers on my window sills?

Kelsy Simpson

Do squirrels tease dogs on purpose? The squirrel friends in my yard always pull my dogs toys up in the tree and put it where he can see them but not where he can reach them. I've always wondered if they just liked the toys or my dogs reaction to them taking the toys...

Jenna Congdon

How smart are squirrels? Are they intelligent, or just athletic and lucky? So much of what they do seems like they're just randomly digging, jumping, whatever and hoping for the best.

WildPackofDogs

I’ve heard squirrels can fall or leap, reach terminal velocity and due to the way they land (kind of like a super hero with one front arm down, the other raised) they can land with minimal damage. Is this true? I’ve seen it in action a hundred times but how does this work?

John Worster

I have a small Ginko tree in my front yard, and the squirrels like to climb on to the tree, and take a bite out of the bark. What is it that they are lacking in their diet that would make them do this? The tree has about 2 dozen bite marks where the bark has been removed, so it isn't a one time thing.

Erin Gunderson

Flying squirrels. How and where did that happen? Are they relatively new, or did they diverge from their pitflapless cousins a long time ago. Also, it's basically just basejumping around for them, right?

Charlotte Fjelkegård

How can a giant chonk like the Indian giant squirrel move around in the tree tops? And why is it purple?

Jeri Webb

Hello from Chicago! We have your standard adorable, yet annoying (my poor garden🙄), brown squirrels here. And then maybe 15 years ago or so, we started seeing black squirrels in the neighborhood. What’s up with that?

Tam Tran

Just letting everyone know that "squirrel fishing" exists, and it's fun for both parties involved.

Jackie Driscoll

First time question asker: Is there any real way to get them to stop eating your dill or other garden plants???

Savannah Glenn

FTQA: are squirrels as mean as I’ve heard? or are they as cuddly as I want them to be?

Kristen Alberty

FTQA (she/her) I've seen brown squirrels and black squirrels within the same ecological area. Are there other colors of squirrels? Is there an evolutionary/camouflage advantage to their different colors?

Sage Scarberry

I don’t have a question about this specifically but I would love to hear you discuss those elaborate bird feeding mechanisms people create to try and keep the squirrels from eating their bird food

gg

Are black squirrels real or myth? Do they sing like The Chipmunks?

Jeri Webb

and then speaking of my garden, is there anything that we can do to keep them from destroying it?!

Justin Saucedo

Do they really forget where they bury nuts and that's where trees come from?

Ami DuCre (Amy doo-kray)

Does that arm-waving thing to make friends with a squirrel I saw on TikTok really work? If it does, why? Are people gatekeeping other forms of squirrel sign language out there?

Joy Johnson

I love the little buggers! My yard is surrounded by pine trees resulting in dozens of pine cones littering the place. I find the remnants of pine cones in tidy piles, and have definitely seen at least one squirrel holding one and nibbling as if it was an ear of corn! I guess that's not a question. But they're so damn entertaining, can't wait for this episode :-)

Frances Hurst Brubaker

Why are flying squirrels the only ones that can glide? That seems like a useful adaptation for all of them since they live high in trees. Also, how far can they distribute nuts?

Matt Thompson

Do squirrels use the same tree for food storage or do they each have their own?

Iris Hutchings

First time question asker: Is it true that red squirrels will chew off the gonads of gray squirrels and effectively decimate the gray squirrels population? Second question: is it a myth that if a squirrel is in dire need of water/food, they will follow humans on the off chance the "big animal" will help them rather than hurt?

Ryleigh Whitfield

Are flying squirrels actually squirrels? Do they actually fly? What’s happening?

Rosalee de la Foret

I love squirrels! We have red squirrels and occasionally gorgeous grey squirrels here in eastern WA state (and elusive flying squirrels). I don't love how they decimate my garden beds burying pine cones though. Any tips?

Pascal Perron

My boyfriend hates them so much (I don’t) because in Montréal, they’re everywhere, and WILL destroy your gardening hopes and dreams. Any clever ways to disinvite them from your balcony?

Justin Saucedo

Are adult squirrels playing, fighting, or trying to bone when they're chasing each other around trees and chattering like hell?

Steven Shelley

Ok so I know there’s a sort of “squirrel wave” you can do to attract them, why does this work?? Am I sending these furry lads mixed messages?!

Kimberly Bryant

Talk to us about flying squirrels! I live in Vermont and recently went to check on a bluebird box only to find a mama and baby flying squirrel camped out in a wooly nest inside the box. Now I want to put up boxes just for them! What sort of housing accommodations are they more likely to want to book a room at?

Emily Staw-fur

Why does it sound like they are laughing at me? Are they taunting us?

WildPackofDogs

Have you seen the YouTube videos of the guy who creates a squirrel obstacle courses to demonstrate how they are diligent problem solvers and there’s almost no way to keep them from your bird feeders? What means do you use to keep the squirrels from the bird feeder without using some complex obstacle course?

Kyla C (KAI-luh, rhymes with Myra or Lyla)

How come I usually see squirrels alone? Why don't they hang out in groups? (Not complaining at all -- one is enough to make me antsy about eating my unguarded lunch)

Marijke Decuir

Are any squirrels native to North America or were they all introduced to make urban parks have wildlife?

Allie Paul

Why are their tails so poofy? Is there a functional reason? Is it just for show? Is it just so they can be handsome little ass holes?

Mandie Viscusi

FTQA: why do they run into the road, change their mind, change it back, and cause me to cringe in anticipation of a thump?

Ron Dagdag

how old can squirrels live? what's their lifespan? How fast do they propagate and how many babies per year?

Chris Tanzola

First time question asker: Do squirrels exist away from urban, man made environments? Are there packs of wild squirrels out that that don’t eventually come into contact with humans?

Emily Staw-fur

What is with squirrels on college campuses? They never seem to have fear of people

poppy

Why do some of them not seem to care about spicy suet? or are the squirrels in my neighborhood just hard core?

Ellie Frances

What’s up with college squirrels?

Kyla C (KAI-luh, rhymes with Myra or Lyla)

Can you explain... their tails? Like, why are they so fluffy? Why do they look like a tilde symbol? Why do they wave them up and down when they're running?

MB

Please help me convince my parents to stop hand- feeding wild squirrels in their neighborhood.

Donia Conn

I have grey and red squirrels around me (and flying) and have grey squirrel with a very red tail. Do they interbreed?

WildPackofDogs

Squirrels are known for barking. Why to other rodents not bark? Why did squirrels develop this function compared to their relative species?

Kevin Miller

Is it true that squirrels teeth never stop growing?

Average_pi

Why did the pregnant squirrel hiss at me? Also one time a squirrel fell out of a tree and died. Half an hour later, it got up and rolled over and died again. Do squirrels have 2 lives or was that one really weird please help me understand

Abigail Worley

First time: why the heck are squirrels eating the bark off of a tree that they live in thus killing all the chewed branches?

Brenna Pixley

Sam Thayer can endurance hunt a squirrel and catch it with his hands (need two ppl) thoughts ?

Amanda

I have a squirrel that comes to my window and waits patiently until I give it nuts. It looks like she gets excited when she sees me and recognizes me. Can squirrels recognize individual humans (like crows can)?

poppy

I hear there aren't as many in France (legit my cousin's partner was EXCITED to see one and take photos). Why have North American populations gone so bonkers in comparison?

Margaret Ebacher-Rini

Can you talk about whether there have been any divergences between "wild" squirrel species and squirrel species that are more closely associated with humans (Im thinking urban squirrels here)

The Squirrel Queen

Where/when should I go out to try to see flying squirrels in the wild? Also, why did some squirrels evolve to be tree acrobats while others evolved to have fleshy kite bodies?

UltraCheese

Why do squirrels have 6 packs? Like do they really need to be jacked?

Brenna Pixley

Did you listen to the spooked podcast about the ghost squirrel and the taxidermist?

UltraCheese

How do squirrels communicate with each other?

UltraCheese

What is their primary sense?

Rachel

How much personality do squirrels have, or what's your best story about squirrel personality? I once had a pair of squirrels stalk me while I ate a burrito in a park, and I swear they behaved exactly like a pair of bumbling henchmen in a movie - it was hilarious and very human-like and I've never looked at squirrels the same since.

Brittany Peek

How do squirrels spend the winter months?

Silvia Triverio

OMG, so exciting! So, one of my cats is obsessed with squirrels and has been chasing them forever… is there an actual possibility that she could hunt one down? Also,the squirrels keep feeding on the bird feeder and when they are empty they become nasty and destroy them. Is squirrel revenge real?

daniel schmaniel

i was recently listening to the urban rodentology episode (again), so i'm wondering: what is a squirrel's bite force compared to a rat?

Kyla Murphy

FTQA: What’s the deal with black squirrels? Is the black color dominant? I am seeing them all over Westchester NY these days.

Mickie Farris

Black squirrels. What's the deal? We live in the Pacific Northwest and largely see gray or reddish colored squirrels, but every once in awhile, there's a population of black colored squirrels. Is this a genetic fluke or a subpopulation or a separate species?

Sarah McLaren

FTQA: What is the size range of different squirrel species? Are there any which are sexually dimorphic? Any good squirrel stories - I love a good squirrel anecdote. My partner and I always compete to see who can spot the most on walks.

Popita

Do squirrels have excellent memories? How well do squirrels remember where they hid their cache of food for the winter?

Megan

I've seen a few videos on the interwebs about people with squirrels for pets. Like "rescued as a baby and now they're besties" kind of videos. Is this... Is this a good idea? If feels like a bad idea. Would a squirrel make a good pet? Can they be litterbox trained??? Is there a rabies vaccine for squirrels? Flea treatment for squirrels? Wouldn't they just either rip open the couch or hide food everywhere?

Cooper Moore

Why is there seemingly so little variance in squirrels between regions? There are exclusively squirrels with black fur where I went to college, but otherwise it seems to be the same squirrels everywhere. What gives?

Rena Dez

Recently moved to PA from CA and obsessed with the floofy tree squirrels - why do we only have non-floofy ground squirrels in the west? It is because of the difference in types of trees? Are tree v ground squirrels actually very different animals or just in looks? Also, squirrels versus chipmunks?? Versus flying squirrels?! Can’t wait for this one!

aa.brown.bb

Is there an approximate buried nut recovery percentage (Nuts recovered / nuts buried)? -asked by my partner who likes squirrels

MN_09

Most rodents are quite clean and only defecate in a certain spot, so they kind of have a "bathroom area"... Are squirrels like that too? Or do they poop anywhere? Maybe hanging from a branch whenever they feel like it? Will you get pooped-on if you stroll through a forest that houses many many squirrels?

Alexandre Catulle

How come they remember where they have put their nuts? (No pun intended)

Amanda Thorpe

Is it a bad idea to try and domesticate a squirrel?

Dianna Smith

I love the Mark Rober squirrel maze videos. They speak to a certain level of intelligence. Is it really intelligence or just persistance? They certainly never give up!

Matt Ceccato

How plausible would “The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl” be IRL?

rikspieks

can i become friends with them?

Amanda

Every spring, they roll around in the fresh dirt in my garden. Why do they do this? Is it just for fun? What other things to squirrels do for fun?

daniel schmaniel

why are malabar giant squirrels so big and colorful?

Sarah McEachern

What is the terminal velocity of a squirrel? I feel like I've seen them jump from trees and rooftops and they never get hurt!

Katie Hultman

Please talk about their weird ankles. Also, I heard that they sometimes use rattlesnake skin as a perfume to deter predators? Is that flimflam?

Danielle Zonis

First time question asker! What are some natural predators of squirrels? There are tons of squirrels in Canada where I live in the suburbs and we don't really have any apex predators or anything in the suburbs so what is eating the squirrels. We do have quite a few squirrels.

Pavka34

Can we talk about the Canadian Black Squirrels that settled in the DC Metro area?

rikspieks

how many different species are there and what's the weirdest and what's the biggest one?

Danielle Zonis

How similar/related are chipmunks to squirrels? Is there more than 1 species of squirrel? What is their closest relative if not chipmunks.

Sarah with an h

Squirreling is my dog's and my favorite thing to do. I've noticed a number of squirrels in my neighborhood are grey with red tails. I estimate about half on our waking route are typical grey. There are several all- black squirrels on a different block, and 2 all- white squirrels by the elementary school. Is this just good ol' fashioned genetics in a smallish population? Do squirrels of a feather flock together? Any smart adaptive reason for the color variations

Hudson Ansley

I first saw that color variation at Sarah Lawrence College. Seemed very appropriate at the time, matched student attire well ;-)

Elta Sparks

Do they have really short attention spans? I feel like they're always associated with ADHD but maybe it's just because people with ADHD know they're awesome and drop everything to look at them 🤷🏻‍♀️😅

adrienne

First time question asker! I work at an elementary school in California and our second graders have become obsessed with a squirrel they have named “crime squirrel”. She rifles through backpacks and eats through lunchboxes- what’s with?! It seems like a difficult time way to find food- does she do this because she found food there before?

Pearl Ramone

It gets so hot where I live and in the summer the family (or friend group?) of squirrels in my yard stretch out over branches in my trees like rodent towels hanging out to dry. It’s cute, but what’s up with that behavior? Do they sweat somehow? I was thinking about putting misters in the yard this summer for us, but I’d hate to mess up their cooling area too much.

Pavka34

Is it true that oak trees and squirrels have evolved together? I remember reading that acorns evolved to be palatable to squirrels but not humans (or not easily).

Justine Doll

How are squirrels SO FAST??!? Do they have more fast-twitch muscle fibres than other mammals?

Quincey Robisheaux

Question from my husband: is there any foods we can put out to dissuade them from taking the bird food? My question: how the hell do they eat upside down

Chase Penix

Do squirrels remember friendly faces?

Danielle Zonis

I saw a couple of tiktok videos where people were seemingly attracting squirrels by waving their hand in a wave-like motion. Am I being pranked or is that legit?

Hannah (he-him)

First time question asker- How do city squirrels differ from rural squirrels (of the same species) when it comes to food gathering and stashing? Would a city squirrel dumped in the country adapt right away?

Amanda

There’s a tree in my yard that seems to be a prime spot for mom squirrels to have their babies every year. I’ve been watching the babies play on the tree and slowly learn to come off the tree and discover grass for the first time. Do squirrel parents teach their babies how to be a squirrel? How long do they stick around before letting the babies go out on their own? Does the dad squirrel have any part in baby raising?

WillyB

Not really a question, but if you've never heard a native German speaker try to pronounce the word "squirrel" you should stop what you're doing and do that right now. It's delightful!

Anfauglir

How many different rodent species fall into the squirrel family?

Keaton Sant

Why do they have a death wish? Specifically why do they wait until the last minute to run out in front of my car😭

Erin Ryan

My friend from New Zealand asked “what are the squirrels with racing stripes?” Chipmunks. Bless. But can we talk about the complicated history of grey squirrels in North America, being both native AND introduced?

Brittany Shafis

How high are they able to climb? How did flying squirrels evolve?

Sarah with an h

How could I forget... SQUIRREL TAILS! How do they work? Why so bushy? There's a neighborhood squirrel (I named Stumpy) with half a tail... is he going to be OK?

Marie Kluge

What are visible differences between males and females? And should people get one as a pet? Asking for a friend :D

Amanda

Why do they hang upside down on trees? I like to imagine it increases blood flow to the brain and helps them think better

Hudson Ansley

I love the flying squirrels! We have had them come to our feeder at times in suburban NJ, but they are hard to see due to being nocturnal and much more shy than the grays. I gather they are actually pretty common, at least in US North East, but I'd love to hear the expert on this.

Katherine

I went to Michigan recently and noticed that they have beautiful, sleek black squirrels, in addition to the more boring gray squirrels that I'm accustomed to seeing in my home state of Georgia. Who are these guys?

Katherine

How do I stop squirrels from digging up my vegetable garden?

Katherine

When squirrels make their little noises that sound like a bird squawking, what does it mean?

Kep

how can i show them i think theyre cool while respecting their boundaries?

Amanda

I’ve noticed some squirrels have notched ears. Is that genetic? An injury from a tussle? Are there any other visible genetic differences to distinguish between squirrels or use to speculate if the ones in my yard are related?

Amanda

How do they strike the perfect balance between eating and burying nuts?

Felix Lasselle

What nutritional value do they get from chewing through the wires of my balcony lights? They must be tasty cause it keeps happening. (Sorry I'm a little bitter about it)

Nicole Kleinman

Do squirrels mostly eat nuts, or is the acorn association a myth?

Bonnie Casson-Deweese

I have a friend who claims to be a "Squirrel Whisperer" and has trained the squirrels in his backyard. I have a lot of questions here and fears related to him assembling a squirrel army to do his bidding--cute but deadly. Is there a history of training squirrels and, if so, what have they been trained to do? (First time question asker)

Nicole Kleinman

Is it okay to feed squirrels? If so, what should we give them?

Camille Charlebois

FTQA!!! 1. What’s up with squirrel poop. I have never seen it. Does it exist?! 2. Why do they take one bite out of my tomatoes the second they turn red and then just leave ‘em on my balcony without finishing the deed? So frustrating.

Stephanie Coombes

Is it true they lose 80% of their cache because they can’t find it again?

Stephanie Coombes

Tips for keeping them out of my shed? (Aside from rebuilding it). Is it true hot pepper works? If we trap them and move them will they come back? And why do they hide mushrooms everywhere? My rubber boots were filled this year

Alex Joseph

my friends have some college squirrel trauma and want to know 1a) why do the albino squirrels in Oberlin seem like their personalities are different and 1b) why are they only in one quadrant of the town square, and 2) why are some squirrels (hypothetically, the squirrels at the University of MD College Park) very aggressive and willing to murder us

Chelsea-Victoria Turner

are there some populations of basically domesticated squirrels like the squirrels on campus and do you think they will ever become fully domesticated

Amanda

Help me understand squirrel noises?

ReigningEmily

So my grandfather is constantly at war with squirrels because they eat his bird seed. My question is: is it bad for squirrels to eat bird seed, or just some beef that my grandfather has with the squirrels?

Amy Zucker Morgenstern

I also wonder about the Palo Alto black squirrels (I work in Palo Alto and watch them out my office window). I have seen black squirrels in two other places and only two: Hanover, New Hampshire, home of Dartmouth, and Princeton, New Jersey, home of course of Princeton. So are they escaped lab experiments . . . hyperintelligent squirrels from outer space in search of an elite education . . . what? WHAT? Amy ZM

Rebekah Ward

First and foremost this episode has the potential to make life good again, no pressure. Second, do squirrels know what I’m saying? I frequently speak with my neighborhood and campus squirrels, mostly just hellos and how are yas, and it feeeeels like they get it. I’ve noticed they scurry off less when I greet them, so do they just sense I’m not a threat, are they scared frozen, or are we kinda chatting??

Alex

Is it true squirrels often lose their food stashes? Or that their brains change size in the fall to help with that?

Chandler Witherington

How do they not get poisoned when they eat mushrooms? Not sure about other squirrels but those on the east coast where I live munch on them all the time! Also, in the DC area there are black eastern grey squirrels that I’ve never seen anywhere else. What’s that about? Also, I once saw an eastern grey squirrel with a tail that was COMPLETELY white. It was a good day.

Anke Lausch

FTQA How do they learn to hide nuts and find them again? Do the parents hide nuts for kids and send them on a scavenger hunt? Do they only use this technique in winter or do they also hide food in the summer?

Patricia Evans

Inquiring minds want to know: are squirrels REALLY rats with good PR?

Cate Muenker

How many nuts does one squirrel need to squirrel away for the winter?? Can squirrels get dementia? I can’t imagine hiding all those nuts and forgetting where they are come winter.

art_by_di

My neighbour had a squirrel one-by-one steal all the bulbs off her string of deck lights, chewing them off at the cord. What was up with that!?

Amanda

Do squirrels ever eat meat? I thought I once heard about them eating a deer or is that flimflam?

Alex

I feel like I remember seeing a squirrel hang from it’s tail once, which makes me wonder now, do squirrels have prehensile/prehensile-adjacent tails? Is this even a real squirrel behavior, or could I be imagining this?

Katie Armstrong

Why are they so much smarter than us when it comes to bird feeders? I watched my Dad nearly lose his mind one summer trying all different strategies to keep them from the feeders. He finally gave up after what we can only consider a squirrel revolt! (A bunch of them charging down the neighbors' hill at us while we pulled weeds) (Sorry so wordy! I'm a talker!) Also...1st time questioner!

King Donna

When I was 7, I was walking home from school and a baby squirrel jumped on my back. I was a few houses from home and carefully walked to the door. "I have a squirrel" The neighbor's cat had slain his parents. Sneakers was a nice cat but that's what they do. Anyways, we were friends to the end of his days. Clusters was his name. I met another person who had a squirrel that chose him. Is this a common phenomenon? I later had Sugar Gliders as pets but it's different when they choose you

Elizabeth Potter

The midwife in me wants to know about squirrel gestation. Is it long? Do they have singletons? Multiples? Where do they birth? Up in the trees?

Leanna Shuster

Why do some of them have such thick bushy tails compared to others? Is this a difference in species or subspecies or is there some sort of genetic trait for tail bushiness?

Alie Ward

Gunna weigh in here and say it's just that Grampa is Team Bird

Megan Duffy

Are some squirrels suicidal? I ran one over after swerving to not hit it the other day and that’s not the first time that’s happened.

Lene Olszeth

I saw a tiktok where a guy did a wave hand signal and a squirrel ran to him. He claimed he had found a way to hypnotize squirrels. Was it real??

Heather Heater

How do I keep these adorable, furry terrorists from digging up my garden every year?!

JJ

Sorry for the pedantry, but I think you mean tamed. Domestication happens on a species level over generations, but a wild animal can be tamed.

Cassandra Grafstrom

Ha! I've only been to Rutgers once and they were chonks, but my friends who overlap between Rutgers and UM commented that Michigan squirrels were outstandingly fat.

Katie Armstrong

On behalf of my sister, Anna Mueller, who turned me onto Ologies: Do squirrels like each other? It seems like they can tolerate each other within about a 18"- but anything closer- and those tails start flickin... How can I train a squirrel to be my friend? Constant presence? Luring with food? Is it true that a squirrel has a range of about 10 miles and it can find its way home if you drive it 10 miles away and drop it off? And finally; Why are red squirrels such jerks?

Nina Eve Z.

Is there wildlife/natural predators squirrels are afraid of? My partner and I just realized our neighborhood in San Francisco doesn’t have squirrels, it’s so weird. We do have hawks, crows, raccoons, opossums, the occasional heron… I’m not made but it’s weird, right?

Judy Perkins

ok - sorry - first time posting and i put the question under Dreams the first time. What did squirrels evolve from and how many species/classifications are there?

The Other Maya

If I start a company making vair accessories for hipsters, would that do anything to turn the tide on the Eastern Grey/Eastern Fox squirrel problem? Or, in other words, can we commercialize a niche product made from invasive species to restore populations of native species? Or is that just too problematic?

The Other Maya

How do I keep squirrels from eating my tubers - without starting a company selling vair to hipsters?

Mary Concannnon

Why do midwestern college campuses all swear that their squirrels are like... super-squirrels?? Is there something about being in such an ecosystem that makes them more friendly?

Gabe

The Irish story of the red squirrel, grey squirrel and the pine martin is bonkers! Still an ongoing story, I heard it on The Wild w/ Chris Morgan. Highly recommend that episode. Now from a first time question asker…how many squirrels parish each winter? I’ve heard 40% of them somewhere but not sure. Thank you for what you do!

Mary Concannnon

Do different species of squirrels have different personalities?

James Nance

Squirrels in the attic... why!? What attracts them to that space? We recently had to have some squirrels (safely) removed from our attic. A dang WOODPECKER had drilled a whole into the side of our house and the squirrels thought that made a nice front door for their nest.

Jamie Alexander

First time question asker. A friend and I were once approached by a very friendly and seemingly fearless baby squirrel. We eventually learned that they are called pant tuggers and baby squirrels who exhibit this behavior are most likely orphaned. We called around and couldn’t find wildlife org or a vet to help. We both had cats and were reluctant to bring the baby into our homes for this reason. Also they were crawling with fleas. We fed the squirrel nuts and apples and made it a cozy bed in an open shed. On the 4th morning however we found our little squirrel charge killed. We think by a neighbor cat. 🥺 I wish we had known how to better care for this squirrel, that it was definitely orphaned, that humans can’t catch squirrel fleas. That a cat would get it if we left it outside. I would like a plan for what to know and do when approached by a pant tugger assuming a wildlife rescue is unavailable.

Rachel Cannon

Why does my dog chase them??? Why are they so fearless? Is it true that gray squirrels are invasive?

Valerie Bertha

I live in northern Virginia outside of DC. We used to only have lots of gray squirrels. In the past six years more and more black squirrels have been showing up in my neighborhood. Do we know why? Is it related to climate change or did somebody have a pet black squirrel that escaped and has been having a “very” good time?

Feye

Why is it that the American grey squirrel seems to take over the territory of our European red squirrel?

Deacon Raid

Have they read the Squirrel Girl comic by Ryan North and Erica Henderson? She’s the most powerful hero in all of Marvel because she has the powers of both a squirrel and a girl. She talks to squirrels too! Some Ground squirrels are famous for their rich vocal communication. How much are other species talking to each other and about us?

Valerie Bertha

why do the squirrels love tormenting my dogs? They would take apple cores and balance them on the branch above my sleeping dog Misty and then push it off so it hit her on the head. Now that Misty has passed I have two large dogs who think squirrels are great squeaky toys yet they keep tormenting my dogs anyhow.

Amy Zucker Morgenstern

Do you think squirrels are evolving to be savvier about cars? Has anyone researched this?

Kyla Murphy

Growing up, the only place I ever saw them was on the Princeton University campus. They definitely seem to have a wider range now!

The Other Maya

Yaaaas - new squirrel/ old squirrel! The new squirrels run straight and the old squirrels dance in front of the tire. I also must know if this is true or something I made up.

Kyla Murphy

Cooper, was this Princeton? That was the only place I would see them when I was growing up, but now I see them everywhere. (And if it wasn’t Princeton then do black squirrels have a weird affinity for university towns??)

Jacqueline Whelan

Hear me out - the cat came back, only squirrels. (Also, the extent to which my privilege is showing here is wild...) When I was a child, my father's anal tendencies towards having a literally perfect lawn manifested in his hatred of squirrels. His solution was at least a humane one, to live trap them and then drive them to a local park and let them go. Soon his paranoia that they were returning got the best of him, and he began taking them on a commute across a major interstate 5 miles away. Convinced the same group was coming back, he began spray painting the tails of these squirrels white so as to identify if they had returned. Lo and behold one morning while eating breakfast, a furry friend hopped by with a white spray painted tail. How?! Why!? (to the squirrels returning... and also the same for my dad...)

Nathalie Jones

So whats the deal with black squirrels?? When I first saw a black squirrel I freaked out! Then I googled them and apparently they can be seen as sign of bad luck..and also good luck. Are they actually that rare? Or bad luck?

Nathalie Jones

And from my friend, are squirrels who live on college campuses different? Why? How? They seem more friendly and have more of a diverse diet (I've seen a college campys squirrel drag a whole bagel away once...)...

Chloe

How’s the squirrel population- Do we have more here than other countries? Are they over populated or are they all dying from cars..

Julie Paez

So I live in Northern Arizona where we have the cutest squirrels called Abert's squirrels and they are a tassel-eared squirrel. When I was in college in California I remember hearing about the Abert squirrels and the Kaibab squirrels, which are in the north side of the Grand Canyon, and that they used to be one species of squirrel that because of the Colorado River were forced into two populations and are now two distinct squirrel species but they used to be one is this true?

Nick Mikash

What is the frequency of successful cache retrieval when squirrels hide their nuts? Also, did squirrels invent maple syrup?

Sara E.

1st time question-asker! What is the language of the squirrels?! What do all of the vocalizations mean?! How should people support them? Are there any native plants we should plant to help them?

Heather Hutchison

How long of a memory do they have? I USED to store my chicken treats on my screened patio until they chewed through my screen and any container I tried enough times to teach me to store it in an inconvenient place (for me and them) It's been months and they still come and look for it and it's 100 bucks every time the screen guy comes out. Is there ANYTHING to deter them? *tried - peppermint oil, rodent sachets and currently waiting on fake snakes in the mail. Thanks!

Terena

Is it true that different types of squirrels do not cross into each other’s territory? For example, there is a gray squirrel living in my tree and a black squirrel climbing the tree across the street but I never see them crossing the road and checking out the other’s yard.

Kieran H

First time question asker here! Why do squirrels make such awful noises? They sound like the dying squawk of a sick bird. What are they communicating with these noises?

Mark Rovner

Newbie: Just how smart are they?

A. McCaig

Ok - so for years I've been told by old squirrel hunters that in order to keep other males from breeding that the alfa male will bite the nuts off subordinate males. WTF!!! ....... is this true???

Emmett

When I was little my grandma would tell me that squirrels would bury acorns as food for the winter, and then forget where they had buried them and that's why we had so many oak trees---is this true? Do they forget where they hide food for hibernation? And do they even hibernate or store food for the winter? Would love to get some scientific clarity on this :) Also, Alie you called me "Edna" instead of "Emma" in the invisibility episode. No worries about the mix up at all--I got a good laugh out of it! Just thought I'd let you know! 😆

The Aerial Mapper

First time question asker! Do squirrels act as pollinators when they bury nuts? In urban areas do the nuts that squirrels bury get disturbed by construction and other human activity frequently?

S ✨

Are squirrels smart? Because they seem to always run into the road when a car is coming and this has happened to me multiple times

Megan Guthrie

And digging up flowers bulbs and flower pots!?

Nathan-Andrew

Are squirrels really obstreperous punks, cleverly flaunting their disdain for authority? Or are they just a bunch of idiots?

Megan Guthrie

What's with all the tail fluffing and flapping? Communication? Signals?

Karyn Molines

Have you looked into the work by Vagn Flyger (1922-2006) and his studies on squirrels?

Karyn Molines

Tell me all about flying squirrels!

Rick Gillespie

Why is my dog (a beagle) SO OBSESSED with squirrels? He tries to climb trees to follow them!

Gina H

Are squirrels shit talking my dog?

Jennifer Anderson

Why do squirrels have fluffy tails while other rodents seem to have sparsely haired tails.

Jae Steinbacher

Can we talk about all the diseases squirrels carry (BUBONIC PLAGUE?!?!), especially those they can pass to humans and pets?

Paul Bruno

Where do these guys and gals sleep at night?

Madison Hunter

I saw a long YouTube video about a man who built a squirrel obstacle course in his backyard one season and the squirrels kept getting better and better at going through it to get to the food. Are these kinds of obstacle courses good enrichment for the squirrels and do they enjoy the challenge? Is it a good idea to construct these for squirrels or will it create a problem over time?

Madison Hunter

Not sure if you will cover flying squirrels, but I had a pet one when I was in middle school. I noticed it was quite active at night. I would usually play music to sleep to and I often caught it doing what appeared to be dancing to the music. Was it actually dancing/enjoying the music?

Vita Trincali

Our neighbor has a black walnut tree and the squirrels love to hide them in our yard, the walnuts, not the trees. To keep the damage to a minimum we use traps and relocate them to a park several miles away. I heard that they will find their way back if their new home is less than 10 miles away. 10 miles! True or flimflam? Vita-aka motheroftriplets

Haley K.

Why is it that every time I see a squirrel it looks like it’s on it’s first day of being a squirrel? 🐿️

Haley K.

Is the Rick & Morty episode of sentient squirrels running the shadow government real? 🐿️

Katryn Stratman

Why do squirrels sprawl out like little fur-pancakes when it's hot outside?

Katie King

How can you tell if you have a healthy amount of squirrels in an area, or if there are too many?

Teesha Coot

What is a squirrals life span? Also just why? Why squirrals?

Amanda

Do squirrels hit people and cars with nuts on purpose? How good is their aim?

Ruby Booth

We are now on our third generation of wild squirrels who we hand feed peanuts and walnuts. Are we the worst? Is this okay? We love Skitter, Brave, Ghost, and Secret.

Sydonie S.

True or flim flam: do red squirrels really castrate other squirrel species to assert territorial dominance?

Sydney I

Finally!!!!! Why are they so……….persistent?

Stephen Lickman

Can you ask them about white squirrels? When I first moved into my neighborhood 20+ years ago, seeing a white squirrel was like glimpsing a unicorn. Now they are far more common. I would think having white fur would be a disadvantage for a squirrel. How are they thriving? Thanks!

Macnut Cookie

Why were Eastern Gray Squirrels introduced to the UK? Is there a difference between red squirrels, fox squirrels and pine squirrels, are they subspecies of each other, are these just regional names for the same species? Do/ can squirrels hybridize?

Bob Keeney

Do squirrels like music? We belong to the 'Squirrels Nest' camp at a music festival in Evart, MI in July and wonder if we've misnamed the camp. If their little paws could play an instrument which one would it be?

Marijke Decuir

Why do squirrels dig up flower bulbs and then not eat them? Are they just attracted to freshly dug earth?

Macnut Cookie

I heard squirrels will depredate bird nest, how common is this and do squirrels cash bird eggs like they do nuts?

Michael Heiker

why do people still eat squirrels 🐿️ ?

Jillian McKeown

I live in Chicago and worry about squirrels when it gets really cold. Are they ok and can I do something to help them survive the winter?

Matthew Whitman

Alie, tiktok and Insta are full of people "hypnotizing" squirrels by moving their arms toward the squirrel in a wave motion (emulating the movement of a squirrel's body in motion?). Is this a real thing?

Heather Horton Whedon

Have there ever been any documented cases of squirrels mating with other mammals and producing hybrids? Sort of a.... squirrelly chimera?

Phylicia Chandler

What do they make their nests out of? Does it differ between species? And is it true that one squirrel has multiple nests? Why do some squirrels in my neighborhood not have any hair left on their tail? 😬

Cynthia Conner

When a squirrel is kuking (?) at you are they mad? Also it seems like they really enjoy teasing my dog. Do squirrels have feelings or am I just reading into it?? And how do I keep them from eating my plants?

Lily

First time Q asker: what ecological services or niches do squirrels fill or disturb (thinking of invasive grey squirrels displacing other native squirrel populations)?? Also are squirrels polygamous???

Tristin Berg

Just learned they used real squirrels when filming Tim Burton’s “Charlie and the Chocolate factory”. Are squirrels easy to train? If so, how do I train them to stop digging up my veggie garden?

Al Hamm

FTQA: Are the black squirrels introduced to several areas of the USA (Kent, OH, Holland, MI, some areas of AZ, etc.) In the 19th and 20th centuries considered feral? How have they changed the local ecosystems? Do they mate with native squirrels, creating hybrid species?

Amy Vanko

How many different phenotypes of your regular old backyard squirrel are there in the US? I lived in a neighborhood in Boston where we had a unusually large population of white squirrels. We moved to a neighborhood north of the city and I’ve seen a black squirrel! I’ve seen pics of squirrels with super long tufts of fur on the tips of their ears. How many other fun outfits do these little boogers wear? 🐿️⬅️not a squirrel

Chris Moore

How many caches can a squirrel make? That is, how big is their spatial memory?

Miranda Harter

I live on the West Coast, and the urban areas all have introduced Easter Grey squirrels. I have noticed they are smaller and their tails are a lot less fluffy than on the East Coast. Is it just a regional change, or are they maybe not getting the right nutrients out here? Also why oh why do they stand on the power line and scream into my house?? For like 30 minutes at a time!

Jacky Ho

What furniture do squirrels like in their homes?

Dave Langlinais

What is the etymology of the word "squirrel"?

Jack Tiggleman

How can I stop them from eating my dang strawberries? Get your own fruit!!

Joe Weinmunson

I understand that American gray squirrels cause real problems crowding out native British squirrels. Could some kind of hillbilly-to-rustic program of "Eat More Squirrels" work to control the population?

Greg Walloch

Is the Sarah Silverman bit about squirrels true? That they can't find 80% of the nuts they hide? Do animals make mistakes?

Kelin Jackman

GAMES!!! I have an average of 11-15 squirrels in my backyard. How can I provide them entertainment? ..... That's a lie. The entertainment is really all for me, lol 😉 But seriously, what can I make😄?

Julia Hutton

I have a favorite booked called "Everything Sings: Maps for a Narrative Atlas" by Denis Wood. There's a map in it of a squirrel's perspective of their urban neighborhood, so including all the paths that they could roam and run like across trees and phone wires. I also grew up in Pennsylvania and studied forestry, so I've come to know and repeat the adage that PA was once so forested that a squirrel could traverse the entire state without ever touching the ground. As deforestation continues to encroach on wildlife habitat, how are squirrels adapting and changing? What is the urban equivalent of a squirrel's midden pile? Also is it true that squirrels can't remember where they hide most of their nuts, and this plants trees? And why did infamous Hank the Squirrel of Crafton, PA torment my dog for years, dropping little ornamental pears directly on her head but never on mine? Does anyone else's family routinely scream "SQUIRREL!!!!" like Chevy Chase did in Christmas Vacation? Have you seen Mark Rober's squirrel olympics video? Is it just me, or does anyone else like to replace the word "girl" in songs with "squirrel," as in Beyoncé's "WHO RUN THE WORLD? SQUIRRELS" and Hall & Oates "RICH SQUIRREL" Please make this a 12-part episode, thanks!! ✌️ 💗 🐿️

Kent Durvin

As cute and fuzzy as they are, do they have a dark side? Do they occasionally eat meat or carrion?

Lorri Fishman

Is the chatter at night a way communicate with their comrades? How much sleep do they need?

Kylie M Smith

How many species of squirrel are there? Are any endangered? Do we know about any cool prehistoric/extinct squirrels?

Bookworm Erika

Kelin, you should check out Mark Rober’s YouTube channel… he made an entire obstacle course for the squirrels in his back yard! (Twice!)

Willow Hall

My FIL *loves* squirrels! We even get him squirrel related gifts for his birthday and the holidays. So, these questions are from him! 1. So many questions. So they actually have playtime? They seem to chase each other around. 2. Why do squirrels constantly chirp at the dogs? 3. Do families of squirrels stay in the same neighborhood? 4. Are unsalted peanuts healthy? 5. How many squirrels does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Ps: Since this is a long message I decided to leave a secret for you, oh Pod Dad van Ward. This year for my FIL's 60th birthday I hand drew him a card with a boomer yard gnome and a hippie squirrel 🐿️

Nathan Marion

So many squirrel questions! Do all squirrels actually eat other animals? Are there any really disturbing things they eat around the world? Why do they land like superheroes? Are chipmunks squirrels? Do they have a common ancestor? Lastly, where is the squirrel poop? Why isn’t squirrel poop everywhere?

Bookworm Erika

Is it unethical to have a squirrel catapult in the backyard?! I heard they are quite acrobatic and land on their feet.

Eleonoora

Can grey squirrels and red squirrels really interbreed?

Tomas Van Duijne

Do squirrel balls get stuck in lots of things?! *CONTEXT* there has been a photo getting around for years now of a squirrel stuck in a feeder frame!

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

Are squirrels super smart? They look like they have such little walnut sized brains but I've heard that they can double and triple fake out other squirrels trying to steal their nuts. Criminal masterminds!

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

Are squirrels native? Or I guess where are they native to? I saw a story once that they were popular pets for a while and that's why there are so many now. There are so friggin many squirrels if they aren't native they must be seriously screwing with the ecosystem!

Daniella Napolitano

I guess this is a question and a story about squirrel diets but... Once I saw a squirrel munching on a very meaty cicada in a park. In the same park I also saw a squirrel bounding across a field of clover with a full Eggo waffle in its mouth. It seems they'll eat pretty much anything. What is the strangest thing you've ever seen or heard of a squirrel eating?

Rachael Swenson

First time question asker. There was a squirrel laying on top of the roof of my house this morning. Were they sick or do squirrels take sun naps like adorable little pets?!

Rachael Swenson

I've heard they can readjust their landings mid jump. Is this true? They have such good balance and such incredible leaping skills!

Rachael Swenson

How strong are their toes, I've seen them hanging upside down in trees to forage.

Rachael Swenson

How do I make them my friend? Do I want them to be my friend?

Jessica Smith

What is the population genetics structure look like in a given community? Like are all the squirrels in town related to each other? Also, do squirrels in urban areas that eat more human junk food have more metabolic disorders compared to a forrest-y squirrel community? I just remember seeing super chonky squirrels on my college campus running around with pizza slices and donuts from the cafeteria, and I always wondered if their triglycerides were as bad as mine when I was also subsisting on donuts and pizza.

Jacintha Jaa

I went to college in D.C., and on campus we had some mean squirrels. They would throw nuts at us from trees, steal food from our hands and head but us in the leg if we walked to close to them. In your opinion, did these squirrels have human ptsd, did they just hate us or were we on their campus? I've always wondered what was the deal with these squirrels. Thanks.

Jelli Robinson

Yes! Should we make squirrels our frenz?!

Jennifer Piacente

I have a bajillion squirrels in my yard and also a ton of small holes in my yard. Is there a connection? I should also note that there are so many more squirrels this year then last year. Please help! How do I have less squirrels without hurting any?

Sarah Montgomery

I went to college in Virginia, and we would swear that the squirrels would wait for us to walk under their tree before dropping nuts on our heads. What is the strangest squirrel behavior that you've seen or know of?

Rachel von Morrigan

So cute, but sooooooo destructive! How do we balance letting them thrive, but keep them kindly out of our living space.

Lisa Keitel

These questions are from my son, Andrew. He LOVES squirrels! SQUIRREL QUESTIONS 1. In a given area how many squirrels nests might there be in trees? 2. Do squirrels recognize their family members when they’re outside the nest? 3. What’s the ancestor of the squirrels? (apes are our ancestors) 4. Lifespan of squirrels in neighborhoods vs squirrels not in neighborhoods? 5. I love squirrels but I kinda don’t get their importance in the food chain? (Mainly what’s under them in the food chain)

Michele Victoria Helen Kraft

Why are red squirrels so pissed off all the time? ‘Mmmmerrrr mmmmerrrr’ Is it because the grey squirrels were brought here? I think they were brought here because red squirrels are so dang crabby and unwelcoming. But I kind of like that about them.

Nat Schaefer

Who does their PR? (Rats want to know).

McKenna Pace

*First time question asker here* I heard once that squirrels aren't native to North America and were just introduced to cities like New York to encourage the city folk to get closer to nature, and then they took off from there... Is this true?

Anna Elizabeth

what about pet squirrels. thoughts? i knew a guy that had a pet squirrel one time and he would bring it to the bar in a spiky collar and a camp vest. it seemed sus at best. from my roommate: should we be convinced about squirrel populations being effected by the number of road kills? are cars the worst? are squirrels ok?

Beto Gomez

What are ways we can help squirrels in our locality or even our yards? What are the biggest challenges they face in urban environments?

Amanda

What is their biggest litter size?

Mikayla Humiston

First time question asker and squirrel enthusiast. 1. Why do some squirrels seem to just walk rather than hop/leap? Are they just more chill? 2. What is the movement they make referred to as; a hop, leap, bounce? 3. There is a trend where students at universities and colleges create Instagram accounts for the campus squirrels and you should check some out, they're the best type of content.

Average_pi

Are their generations of squirrels in 1 nest asking for the mother daughter squirrels (I'm pretty sure) in my yard.

Kelly Shaver

Why do they throw things at people from trees? The archeology program at my college had to move their practice dig site because of squirrel attacks. Also why does every college campus claim that their squirrels are the most aggressive?

Petr Kubik

So they are cute and merry and all that, but they are also eating holes into my roof siding for their home, and trying to kill my trees by eating the bark off most of their branches in the spring. I tried to "humanely" trap and relocate one, which turned into a traumatic experience for all involved. Is there much i can do to humanely "discourage" them away?

Abbi Lawson

First time question asker here! I'm lucky to live in a part of the UK where our main population is of red squirrels, but grey squirrels are starting to creep in. What can I as a squirrel loving individual do to help the red squirrel population stay ahead of the grey squirrels? And do you have any top tips for spotting squirrels when out for a walk in the woods?

Cynthia Boshelle

1. Do they all have degrees in engineering? I’ve noticed them laughing before disarming every “squirrel-proof” bird feeder I’ve ever had. 2. I put almonds- in-the-shell and peanuts in my squirrel feeder. Is that ok or a mistake?

Janet Gan

*Also, first time question asker here* 1) why are they jerks? 2) is it flim flam that a lot of trees grow every year because a squirrel has forgotten where it buried those nuts? If true, adorable even though they're still jerks.

Jonathan Auyer

How territorial are they in terms of staying in a general location? I'm pretty sure I see the same two squirrels every morning—the only reason I know is cause one is missing half its tail, we call him sneaky … it's ironic. And how aggressively will they defend their space?

Dae

How long do squirrels live?

Michelle Husko

Why do some squirrels have tufty, fluffy ears? Do squirrels really forget where they stashed their nuts?

Tom Boodry

In the astrobiology episode there was talk of them potentially being the next life form to figure out tool use? Has that ever been documented?

Karen Seidler

How do outsmart them and keep them from always finding a way to the bird feeder?

Kelin Jackman

What the what 😳 Thank you Erika! I most definitely will be watching this.

Krista Jones

What’s the deal with squirrels running in front of cars on purpose? Or are my neighborhood squirrels just built different?

Ben Golder

Why does it seem like their tails are designed to grab the attention of predators like dogs and cats? Like its a twitchy poof that’s so enticing and noticeable. Did they evolve their tails to tease predators??

Molly Geisler

Why are they so cute and why won’t they let me pet them? But really… can they lose their tails and survive?? Seen some squirrel tails not attached to a squirrel body

Storm

i second question 2 (also first time question asker)

Storm

why are they’re tails so fluffy?

Storm

i’ve heard that squirrels can survive a fall from any height, is this true or flimflam? (first time asker)

Storm

how can they stuff so many things into they’re cheek? and for what purpose?

Janika Mäki

People see them as cute and fluffy but I've come to understand that they eat bird babies and things like that? Are they more opportunist than people think they are? Also, does that depend on the species?

Josh Beatty

Is it ok to feed squirrels peanuts, or is that the equivalent of feeding ducks bread?

Savannah

Is it true that all squirrels are from the US? I live in South Africa and we have a ton of squirrels here, they must be introduced?

Alice Rubin

Why are squirrels not common carriers of rabies?

Alice Rubin

What's with the rainbow colored squirrels from India?!?!

Alice Rubin

it's ok. make sure they are roasted and unsalted. Roasted peanuts won't grow after they are buried and best not to add salt to their diet so they don't need more water than usual.

Alice Rubin

There's a wonderful squirrel subreddit https://www.reddit.com/r/squirrels/ but I am so annoyed with people who "rescue" and keep squirrels as pets. Please talk some sense into these people. Including the people who want to befriend wild squirrels and also hand feed squirrels. Why can't people respect wildlife?

Alice Rubin

Why do some squirrels have the most glorious thick, fluffy tails and some super scraggly, with chunks out of them?

Alice Rubin

Sorry not sorry. I love squirrels.

Alice Rubin

How much do you love the Marvel comic: Doreen Green, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl? Her squirrel sidekick is Tippy Toe, and her catch phrase is "eat nuts and kick butts!" I LOVE IT!!!

Sunni Mullenix

One time at college, I saw a squirrel swan dive into a trash can and come back out with a box of French fries in their mouth. Is there anything squirrels can’t or won’t eat? (Besides spicy food, thank you chickenology🙏🏼)

Stephen Moxley

First time question asker here! Is there a way to actually keep squirrels away from bird feeders? I saw this YouTube video where a guy makes a bird feeder harder and harder to get to for squirrels, eventually with a full course of obstacles that he thought a squirrel would never overcome. But somehow the squirrels still got to it. Would my efforts to squirrel-proof my bird feeder be in vain?

Dorit

Albino squirrels!! Do we know how the genetics works? We have some here in Cape Town.

Alice Rubin

just sharing that there's a website that tracks power outages caused by squirrels. How do we squirrel-proof our power lines?

Stephanie Leské

Question 1 why did the squirrel emoji change to a chipmunk on my last phone update, are squirrels suddenly getting a bad wrap with mobile companies? 🐿

Stephanie Leské

Question 2 why do my rescue greyhounds, despite their high prey drive, perk their ears at birds/rabbits/cats/foxes but if they see a Squirrel they start yelping and pulling away on leads / hopping into the sky towards the tree with zero sense of safety to themselves and doing the classic greyhound scream which is a kin to a doggier version of a goat scream. Probably the silliest question I've ever asked in my life 🙃 😅

Stephanie Leské

Question 3: red squirrels in Scotland I've only ever spotted 2 in real life and both were a magical experience their ear tufts... wow. Is there anyway you know of where to reach out to help with red squirrel populations in Scotland and how we can discourage the grey squirrels that have run the red squirrels outta Scotland without hurting them? Don't they know there's emotional space for all Squiirels in Scotland! Also please talk about their ear tufts. Oh! And what does it mean when they stand upright still and flick their tail a few times while staying otherwise still???? I have a lot more thoughts about squirrels than I thought I did... can't wait for this episode!

Don Elliot

Are chipmunks in the squirrel club?

Claire Burditt

I need more info on albino squirrels, why are they white? What’s the difference between the different color squirrels?

Sophie Bernier

Can squirrels recognize faces or people? When I go to my local park to feed them, they run towards me, but I don’t know if it’s because others feed them as well.

Sophie Bernier

Do different types of squirrels have different behavior? I’ve heard that fox squirrels are friendlier.

Sophie Bernier

How can I keep them from digging in my mom’s plants?

Sophie Bernier

My local squirrels will sometime climb on me when I feed them, am I at risk of catching some parasite?

Sophie Bernier

How did giant malabar squirrels come about? And where can I see one?

FerretFace

Squirrels eat out of bird feeders a lot where I live. It's usually discouraged because they can just sit scooping seeds and nuts into their mouths with their little hands (omg the little hands) and empty the feeders. People ususally try to discourage it, but given deforestation/insect decline/habitat loss etc. etc. should we be actively encouraging squirrel feeding to help the little guys out? It must be tough for them out there :(

Shelby Mills

Why do they not dig, but ROLL in the garden?

Sophie Bernier

How are squirrels’ nests built? How do they differ from birds’ nests?

Sophie Bernier

Are outdoor cats dangerous for squirrels?

Erik K

Why the fluffy big tail, what does this help with?

Magdalena Castillo

I read somewhere that they are able to fall from really tall heights and survive, why?

Sophie Bernier

Squirrels will run towards me when I do a come to me motion with my hand. What’s going on there?

Erik K

How far can a squirrel fall? According to the squirrel maze video by mark rober it can be very high? Is this dependent on the species?

Kleb

First time question asker: What's with the tail bouncing? They are just there, stopped and moving it. Charm? Comms? Hiperactivity? Pumping Energy? :)

Kleb

Second question: What's the best thing to feed them in the garden?

Kleb

Third :) What's the best strategy to get them to come to you and be able to touch them (despite kidnaping or waiting for an accident to get a baby squirrel and raise it as a pet)

SeraBee

I need to know - are they ever afraid of heights???

Kai Kishimoto

I've heard conflicting information about whether the cluster of black squirrels I see in some places in New England are their own species of squirrel or just a local phenotype variant. How many species of squirrel are you likely to encounter in a given region of the US?

Amy Nolland

Is there a squirrel relative that lives in Australia? Additionally, are there any environmental conditions that have contributed to their species survival that cannot be achieved in Australia (eg. temperature, food etc)?

AlyssaMalyssa

Do they recognize me as friend? Because I would very much like that. Can I encourage them to befriend me?

KaCee Roberts

From how high up can they fall and be okay? Are they similar to cats in the way they can shift their bodies?

Genevieve Hunt

have there been any successful squirrel proof bird feeders? my grandparents have had about a million and the squirrels just seem to get smarter each time

Julia Cape

Do squirrels bark at dogs because dogs bark at squirrels? Or did dogs learn their bark from squirrels? 🤯

Gretchen Schroeder

I lived most of my life seeing only gray furred squirrels. I now live in an area where black squirrels are common. How common are black squirrels, and are they a melanistic mutation or a separate species?

Catherine Wood

Black squirrels - why? Are they cursed? Extra spooky?

Rebecca Morrison

(1st time asker!) Is it the same squirrel in my garden or different squirrels all the time?

Sydney Koenig

(First time question asker!) What are the origins of squirrel festivals? Is there folklore around squirrels that I’m not aware of?

Cass Goodnight, RVT, CPDT-KA

From my 8 year old ologite: Do squirrels eat anything other than nuts? From me: Do squirrels pester dogs on purpose? Because the ones in my yard seem to actually enjoy their close encounters and I swear they’re laughing at the dogs from the trees. P.s. I heckin’ love squirrels.

Vee

Smear the pole with petroleum jelly I've seen that work

ThyNameIsButter

‚Deep breath‘ Why do they have such fluffy tails? Is it to make them more cute? They are very cute…

Danito

Squirrel attacks, why? In my university in fort collins we used to be warned about the squirrels bc they had attack a number of students. Are they territorial?

Ray Holloman

Are squirrels secretly plotting against us with their stockpile of nuts?

Erin Mecchi

how closely are squirrels related to people?

Spike Parker

How many nuts can a squirrel fit in it's cheeks? I'm sure someone has done this experiment. For science!!!

Traciduck

Do squirrels mate for life? Here in TX I have what seems like the same couple living in my backyard for some time.

Dev

I’ve never been so excited for an episode of ologies!!! Just finished my Masters studying invasive grey squirrels in Scotland. I’d love to know more about the giant PURPLE squirrels in India though!

Rachel Yukimura

[First time question-asker here!] Are the squirrels really mocking my dog when they hang out on a low branch, swish their tails and chatter at him? This explanation seems too anthropomorphic to me. What is the evolutionary benefit of "mocking" a predator?

AlyssaMalyssa

Also, is there a squirrel pact? A “make them slam on their breaks” rite of passage? A league of daredevil squirrels who laugh in the face of metal monsters? Why do they try to unalive themselves on my tires?!

Allie Brown

How important are they in spreading trees??

Larissa Parsons Vafiades

Are their tails sensory, kind of like cats' whiskers? Or are they more just for balance?

Sarah Meaden

Why did pet squirrels fall out of fashion? I know they were the most popular pet at the beginning of the 1900s. Did dogs just take over?

Caroline

What's the deal with Black squirrels? White squirrels? Why do they seem to live in enclaves?

Linda Nichols

I'm so excited!! I know squirrels live in close groups. Will squirrel moms adopt orphans from the same group?

Cnidarian Knight

Why do squirrels (specifically red squirrels) always sit in trees and scream at me?

Cnidarian Knight

Is it true that squirrels are able to fall from almost any height (reasonably) and survive? How do they do this?

Katie Biardi

Why are some ground squirrels so big and some so small? Even in the same habitat? It's weird to me that marmots and golden-mantle ground squirrels live in the same place but one is large and in charge and the other is a little baby.

Sarah Weiler

I hope I'm not too late with this one: Black squirrels and white squirrels. Are they different species or just genetic anomalies? How common are each of them? Do they have any other notable differences from their red/grey/brown cousins?

Jules Hucke

What can I put in my birdfeeder to keep them OUT of it but not repel birds?

Milan Ilnyckyj

What adaptations make them resilient to falls? I was waiting out a thundershower in the protected lee of a wall when I saw one fall from second-story-window height straight onto wet stone flagstones with a slap like wet meat on hard stone. It still scampered off a moment later, not perceptibly injured.

Virginia Bruce

Can squirrels mark dangerous areas? A friend killed several with a pellet gun to allow birds to use his feeder, and then almost no squirrels ever showed up again. I don't believe he killed off the whole population!

Brian Linton

Do squirrels not like certain people? We had a small orchard in our back yard so there were many very well fed squirrels living there. Every time my daughter would walk out on the back deck she would just get pelted with pieces of bark and twigs from the squirrels. Did they hate her for some reason? It was funny but kind of weird.

Scarlet P

Apart from birdseed put outside by humans, do squirrels rob food from birds or other animals in the wild? And how has the presence of humans impacted squirrel’s diets?

Felicia Stelsel

Have you seen the squirrel obstacle course videos that Mark Rober posts? Have you done anything similar in your research/study of squirrels?

Allison Muller

Always been curious about their different vocal sounds. “Chirping”? “Grumbling”? The ones in the Midwest at least have a certain “hmmmmm!?” (Imagine your great aunt responding to bad behavior) Love and hate squirrels-had a treehouse as a kid and experienced many tense run-ins/standoffs with squirrels in my way. They scared the heckadoodle out of me for a long time.

Allison Muller

ALSO the squirrel scene from sword and the stone is my favorite fucking thing and I’m 38 years old. 😊

Allison Muller

ALSO there was a squirrel at my last rental we called ‘dirty mouth’ because their eating orifice was super dark-I’m assuming but wondered if I was right in that they’ve dyed that area by eating walnuts?

Holden A. Goose

Do squirrels have preferences in nut? Would the preferences vary by species or is it more of a personal taste thing

McKnuckles

I got very excited and couldn't think of any questions, so I asked friends in the States (I'm in Australia) Here you go: How do squirrels communicate with each other? What does their chattering mean? Why do they dig in our flower pots when it is obvious that there are no nuts stashed there? ls there any successful way to keep a squirrel off of a bird feeder? Do squirrels show feelings or create emotional attachments with other squirrels? (That was from Gloria) Thank you for every thing you do!

Emily

What is the deal with black squirrels? Are they really as exotic as everyone makes them out to be?

Emily

How can I stop squirrels from digging up my garden? They took all but one of my tulip bulbs and now they’re digging in my planters

Nita Chen

Greetings, Why are they jerks and always digging up my plants? Are there decoy plants I can place so they leave mine alone?

Nita Chen

Greetings, What kind of parasites do squirrels carry? Also, why is the word so hard to pronounce?

Laura McLean

I want to know about SPLOOTING! We had a massive heatwave here in Napa last year and on my drive home, I had to dodge several dead-looking squirrels in the road, only to discover that this is just a thing they do?! 🐿️🐿️🐿️

Shannon Smith

We had an albino squirrel in our neighborhood years ago. This critter was crazy! It seemed to be fighting with other squirrels, not like the normal playing/goofing around that we regularly see between other squirrels. How rare is an albino squirrel? And is there any link between albinism and behavior? Or is it possible that critter was being picked on because of his color differences and had just developed a defensive attitude?

Olivier Calas

What is the best way to keep squirrels away from already-hard-to-get-to bird feeders?

Jenny Loome

Why do squirrels have giant fluffy tails? Is there an evolutionary advantage?

Rebekah Hatherly

My friend adopted a baby squirrel that fell onto their driveway and had major concussions! He is no longer concussed and seems to be living the best domestic squirrel life, since he can't be released now (as he has no fear of humans or other animals) how long can rehabilitated inside squirrels live?

Helen Langille

As a Canadian east coaster, I’m curious as to why grey squirrels have not made It to Atlantic Canada? We seem to only have the little red buddies here.

Joe Wilkie

what does it mean when squirrels have a tail that’s not as floofy as the other squirrels? are there any species of squirrel that live in the ground? what does the inside of a squirrel treehouse look like? are squirrels invasive in any part of the world?

Joe Wilkie

are bird feeders good for squirrel friends?

Jakin Yang

Are they evil? And are city squirrels significantly different from country squirrels? Also, what do we do about introduced/invasive squirrel species?

Max Ahn

Is it possible for someone with a pony tail to communicate with a squirrel by jerking their pony tail around? As a kid with a ponytail, tried this and swear I was able to lure a squirrel down a tree before someone walked by and scared it away. Was I just delusional?

Katherine Wood

why are so many dam squirrels in my city

Efjay777

There's gray, black, and fox squirrels that are related I think? Then there are flying squirrels. What's a true squirrel? I suppose Rocket "Rocky" J. Squirrel is a flying squirrel of some sort?

Efjay777

What's up with the pronunciation of squirrel? Are there many different proper ways to pronounce it? Can [insert citizenship group of people here] actually not pronounce squirrel properly?

Hanna Harem

I live in Colorado and every once in a while I see an Abert squirrel! They are the cutest freaking squirrels and look like tiny Batmans!! I am OBSESSED! Is there anything I can do to attract more of these Cuties to my yard?

Devin McPeek

I'm a 7th and 8th grade science teacher, and I had my students submit some questions to ask you! Here are some of the questions I received: (1) Why do squirrels eat nuts, and why do they put them in the ground? (2) Do squirrels like other squirrels? (3) How can you tell the difference between a male squirrel and a female squirrel? (4) Can squirrels take fall damage if they jump off a tree and onto the ground? (5) How do they climb?

Bekah Jordan

Yes! They also throw acorns at us when we are sitting in the backyard under the trees! It is so funny! It feels like they actually aim and chuck them, we get hit by the acorns—and I am so curious….

Photo Geegee

Is it true that squirrels don't remember where they've stashed things?

Elyse Narozonick

Why do they stand on a tree branch and make loud, bark-like noises at my dog and cat for minutes at a time? It sounds like they are yelling at them (understandable) but I am curious to know what they are trying to accomplish with this funny little behavior.

Lauren Cooper

What's up with black squirrels? We live in Davenport, Iowa and they're everywhere! I never saw one until I moved here

Deanna Roberson

Why does our backyard squatter squirrel antogonize my dog? Much love though

Carling West

I lived in an area in Canada that had the cutest jet black squirrels. Like little Halloween tree kittens! Are the rare all white squirrels albino black squirrels? I can’t explain how much I wanted one to be my magical forest friend, the fluffy cuteness aargh!

Grace Elling

First ever question! I go to Michigan State University so naturally, squirrels have an important place in my heart. Are squirrels able to eat anything and everything? Is there anything they can’t eat? I live in a college town so I know the MSU squirrels have eaten some shady shit.

Patrick Foye

regarding coloration: I’ve seen squirrels that with multi colored fur. But a few times I’ve seen one that looks it was made by taking the back/bottom half of a black squirrel and attaching it to the front/upper half of a brown squirrel. Why wouldn’t the fur be more blended instead of such a stark difference from top to bottom (like black accented ears, tail, legs on a red body, or vice versa ??)

Patrick Foye

I’d see black squirrels in the hill country surrounding Austin, and mainly gray or red in the city. But in the greenbelt that came from the western hills, I’d see the half black, half red or gray ones. But not in the residential areas.

Pearl Ramone

I asked a question a few days ago but can’t find it, however, I just witnessed the backyard squirrels post-coitus, and the male was constantly playing with his whole genital region and flicking all of his parts every few seconds. What is that all about?!?!? My 3 year old thought he was cleaning his tummy. What I saw was some solo play in front of my window while we watched Peppa Pig. 😳

Max

Please explain black squirrels! My college campus only had black squirrels and I miss them dearly.

Courtney Leftwich

The backyard squirrel is in a rivalry for the ages with my dog. I’ve tried to interpret what his different noises mean as some are more terrifying than others. How can I interpret ‘squirrel language’ by their different noises?

Melissa Deufel

Are squirrels capable of throwing nuts at you from a tree?

Jocelin Teron

First time question asker: Can we talk squirrels and mushrooms? I know that in the boreal forest, squirrels will stash mushrooms up in tree branches, and even dig up truffles. Do we know if all squirrel species do this, or is it an opportunistic thing? Do mushrooms make up a significant portion of squirrel diets?

Shannon O'Grady

I just love them. Why are they so cute to me, and considered rats to others?

Anna Eeeee

for an ecology class in college we had to follow a squirrel for 5 minutes and record its behavior every 20 seconds as part of a national project on squirrel behavior. but my question is, in the nicest possible way, why is that interesting? I feel like we have so many endangered wildlife that is more critical to study right now.

Figment

yippeeee, it's my first question ever! are sugar gliders a squirrel, are flying squirrels actual squirrels, and what's the difference? and how far can they "fly" i know they don't really fly, but glide.

Courtney Leftwich

I have so many questions. What do a squirrel‘s tail movements mean?

Stephanie

How many trees come up because a squirrel forgot their stash? And do they grow in clusters?

Sarah with an h

Wait wait wait... there are freaking PURPLE SQUIRRELS?!?!

Dev

Yes! They are gorgeous. And MASSIVE. Highly recommend a google image search

Kari rhymes with safari

OMG. I hope I'm not too late! I just got back from Toronto where they have a totally cute population of black squirrels + the regular brown kind from the Midwest. How many kinds of squirrels are there? Also, once I read that in the 1800s suitors captured baby squirrels and trained them to give them to their sweetheart. Is that true?

Lauren B

First time question asker. I feel pretty confident that squirrels in my backyard are taunting and laughing at my dog. Is this a real thing? Taunting predators seems like an evolutionary no-no…?

Gemma

What’s up with black squirrels? How did they get that way and are there any behavioural differences between them and other squirrels?

Gemma

How many nuts can they fit in their mouth

Gemma

Is Scrat from ice age a good representation of squirrels

Gemma

This isn’t a question but once this teacher made us write the reason why we were late if we came late to class and once I wrote “saw baby squirrel on the way here” and he excused my late

Hania Krzyśka

Why are gray American squirrels winning with native reds in UK? I heard different stories from the ratio of time they spend on the ground through some kind of squirrel pox they're immune to, but what's the real thing? Are we to expect gray invasion in mainland Europe, too?

Hania Krzyśka

Oh, oh, and - is it true that squirrels being scatterbrains is part of nature's big plan and apparently the fact that they misplace all the nuts and never remember where they left stuff allows oaks and nut trees to disperse on a bigger distance? Because I think of squirrels as my spirit animals and I secretly hope one day the all the keys I lost will sprout, too.

Snarky Mermaid

I rarely see squirrels on the island I live on in PNW Canada, but shortly after this episode an small pair of red squirrels showed up and terrorized the walnut tree at work taking all the nuts (I’m a horticulturalist) 8months later…This last few weeks, I have found hundreds of sprouting Walnut trees everywhere I go, I thought about ripping them out for the compost, instead I have some friends children’s potting them up and selling the em as Squwalnuts trees, for charity.