More Good News For the Mount Graham Red Squirrel

The Mount Graham red squirrel is in the news again, with some encouraging results of a recent census. The survey conducted by the Arizona Game and Fish Department, US Forest Service, and US Fish and Wildlife Service found an estimated population of the endangered squirrel at 272, a substantial increase from the 213 squirrels found in last year's survey.

This isolated subspecies of the North American red squirrel lives only at high elevations in a mountainous area of southeastern Arizona. Its numbers have dwindled in recent decades due to habitat loss, forest fire, and drought. It was once believed to be extinct, before being rediscovered in the 1970s. The recent increase in numbers may be the result of a healthy growing year for the pinecones that make up much of this squirrel's diet. However, overall numbers are still low enough to make this species vulnerable to any event, such as a forest fire, that could devastate the population in one fell swoop.

Efforts to restore the population of the Mount Graham red squirrel have had mixed results. Habitat conservation is the most important step. An effort a few years to build a series of rope bridges across a highway that traverses the squirrels' territory was, unfortunately, defeated due to state budget cuts. A captive breeding program being considered at the Phoenix Zoo may also help supplement this squirrel's numbers.

Squirrel Facts: A Uinta Ground Squirrel Returns Home

The Uinta ground squirrel is a squirrel of the western United States. It lives in colonies of between twenty and thirty individuals, in grasslands, meadows, and cultivated fields in parts of Utah, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

Looking a bit like a prairie dog that has lost weight, the Uinta ground squirrel has a brown back, slightly paler on the sides, and buff belly fur. The tail is black and brown, and the face and ears are cinnamon color. These squirrels measure about 11-12 inches in length, and the tail is about 3 inches long. They eat mostly seeds and green plants, but supplement this diet with insects and some small animals.

Uinta ground squirrels are active throughout the day, but only for about 3 1/2 months out of the year. From early fall until spring these squirrels hibernate in their underground burrows. The summer months are busy. In addition to gathering sufficient food to last through the long winter, females give birth to and raise litters of 4 to 8 young. The young typically leave the burrow and begin foraging about 24 days after being born.

One Uinta ground squirrel has recently made the news for its wide-ranging, if involuntary, travels. This squirrel (pictured below) was trapped by a truck driver at a highway rest stop near the Utah-Wyoming border. The unidentified trucker took the squirrel home to Wisconsin where he gave it as a gift to a family in the Madison area. After about two months, the family realized that the wild ground squirrel would never make a good pet, and they turned it over to the Four Lakes Wildlife Center, which is a division of the local Humane Society.

The species is not native to Wisconsin, so the most like course of action was, sadly, euthanasia. Fortunately, the wildlife center has been able to find a volunteer to transport the Uinta ground squirrel back to Utah. If all goes well, the squirrel will soon be back in its familiar habitat.

The Squirrel Gardens of Japan

Amazingly, this is a real thing. According to a recent post on the gaming website Kotaku.com, Japan has a number of squirrel gardens, or risu-en. These gardens are just what the name suggests: parks or zoos where people can go to be surrounded by squirrels. The most famous of these, Machida risu-en, is located in Tokyo. But there are several others in various locations throughout Japan.

 Different squirrel parks apparently specialize in different breeds of squirrels, with some featuring multiple species. Also, the parks differ in whether or not feeding and handling of the squirrels is encouraged. Some of the parks also have other small animals, but the squirrels are clearly the main attraction.

I'm guessing this is from one of the parks that doesn't
encourage feeding

Below are a few more photos from the Kotaku.com story. The official website for the Machida risu-en squirrel park can be seen here. For some reason, I feel a sudden urge to plan a visit to Japan!

Squirrel Facts: The Barbary Ground Squirrel

The Barbary ground squirrel is a squirrel of northwestern Africa, where it inhabits dry scrubland, grassland, and rocky areas up to an altitude of about 13,000 feet. The only squirrel in Africa north of the Sahara desert, it is native to Morocco and Algeria, and has also been introduced to the Canary Islands. Its body measures about 6-9 inches in length, with a bushy tail that is about as long as the body.

This squirrel is grayish brown or reddish brown in color. Its most recognizable feature is a white stripe running down each side of the body, and sometimes a stripe running down the middle of the back. The belly is a pale gray, and the tail has gray and brown bars. It prefers to live in rocky environments, where it may burrow in the ground or make nests within the crevices of large rocks. Like most ground squirrels, Barbary ground squirrels live in colonies made up of multiple families.

This squirrels are sociable, and can frequently be seen foraging food in the morning and evening hours. In areas frequented by humans, they show little fear and will often eat from people's hands. They are primarily herbivores, and their favorite food is the olive-like fruit and seeds of the argan tree. While plentiful in any areas where the source of this food is secure, if there is a food shortage these squirrels will migrate to another area. Barbary ground squirrels may breed twice a year, with up to four young in a litter.

Squirrel Quiz for Squirrel Awareness Month

October is Squirrel Awareness Month, and in honor of this special occasion I would like to offer this quiz to test your knowledge of squirrel facts and trivia. You will find a link at the end of the quiz to where you can check your answers.

1. Approximately how many squirrel species are there in the world?

        a. 150          b. 280         c. 80          d. 500

2. The word "squirrel" comes from two ancient Greek words, "skia" and "oura", which combined mean ________

          a. shadow tail                   b. bushy tail
          c. razor tooth                   d. nut eater

3. Which of these animals is NOT a kind of squirrel?

          a. groundhog                    b. prairie dog
          c. pika                             d. marmot

4. Squirrels are native to every continent except Antarctica and __________

          a. South America            b. Australia
          c. Africa                         d. Europe

5. All squirrels hibernate in winter.

         a. True                            b. False

6. In what country can you find the world's largest tree squirrel?

          a. Indonesia                   b. South Africa
          c. India                          d. The United States

7. Which of the following is NOT a function of the squirrel's tail?

          a. helps to  maintain balance while running and leaping in trees.
          b. maintains body temperature by increasing or decreasing blood flow in the tail.
          c. intimidates predators by waving the tail aggressively.
          d. uses the tail to grasp onto tree branches, to avoid falling.

8. The squirrel species that is most often seen in city parks and suburban yards of North America is the __________

          a. eastern gray squirrel
          b. red squirrel
          c. 13-lined ground squirrel
          d. Malabar giant squirrel

9. The flap of skin on each side that allows flying squirrels to glide is called the __________

          a. sciuridae                 b. patagium
          c. wing                       d. palladium

10. Which of these squirrel species is primarily nocturnal?

          a. Arctic ground squirrel
          b. Eurasian red squirrel
          c. black-tailed prairie dog
          d. northern flying squirrel

Click here to see the answers. Good luck!

Squirrel Facts: The Grizzled Giant Squirrel

A threatened species, the grizzled giant squirrel or Ratufa macroura is native to highland riparian forests of Sri Lanka and the Kerala and Tamil Nadu states of southern India. There are three distinct subspecies. All three of the subspecies are found in Sri Lanka, while only one is found in India.

This is the smallest member of the family of giant squirrels that are found in south Asia, with a body length of 10-18 inches, and a tail that measures approximately the same, for a total length of 20-35 inches. Depending on the region and subspecies, this squirrel may be gray, brown, red or black. The underside is always lighter in color than the back. An agile climber like other giant squirrels, the grizzled giant squirrel uses its extremely long tail to maintain balance while moving through trees.

The ears of this squirrel are small and round, and sometimes tufted. It usually gives birth to one or two young, that are cared for for several months in a large drey placed high in a tree. Females may give birth twice in a year. The grizzled giant squirrel is very territorial, greeting intruders with loud vocalizations. If frightened, it is capable of leaping up to 18 feet between trees.

The grizzled tree squirrel is an omnivore. Its diet includes nuts, insects, birds' eggs, and tree bark.

This squirrel species is threatened or endangered over its entire range. The population in Sri Lanka is much higher and more stable than the population in India, where it is in decline with probably fewer than 1000 individuals. The most serious threats to the grizzled giant squirrel include habitat loss to farming and logging, competition from non-native species, and hunting for food.

In 1988 a preserve dedicated to the protection of this species, Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, was established in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The preserve, also known as Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary, covers an area of 485 square kilometers. In addition to the grizzled giant squirrel, the sanctuary provides a home for macaques, barking and spotted deer, elephants, flying squirrels, leopards, palm civets, lorrises, tree shrews, sloth bears, and numerous other species. An initiative is currently being undertaken among local communities to introduce eco-tourism to this refuge. Let's hope that this is undertaken in a manner that benefits the local communities, and promotes the well-being of these beautiful squirrels and the other species of this area.

Squirrel Facts: The European Ground Squirrel

The European ground squirrel, also called the European souslik, is one of only two species of ground squirrels that inhabit Europe. Its range covers parts of eastern and southeastern Europe, including Poland, southern Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Romania, Austria, Greece, Bulgaria, and Macedonia.

Like most ground squirrel species, European ground squirrels are diurnal (active during the day), and live in colonies made up of individual burrows. Their favored habitat is short-grass steppe, pastures, lawns, or park land. This squirrel is gray or yellow-gray in color, with a body about 8 inches long and the tail slightly over 2 inches.

This species eats a primarily herbivorous diet made up of grasses, roots, and seeds, along with some insects, which they carry in their cheeks to eat in the safety of the den. During foraging, some individuals act as sentinels, alerting the colony to danger with a whistling call. They hibernate from autumn until March, with the exact length of the hibernation varying by location depending on the severity of the winter.

Unfortunately, the European ground squirrel is threatened and has declined or disappeared over much of its range. It was declared extinct in Germany around 1985, and had also completely disappeared in Poland although it has since been reintroduced in that country. The primary reason for its disappearance has been the conversion of its meadow and grassland habitat into cultivated farmland. However, in some areas of Bulgaria and Romania, populations have stabilized or increased since the 1980s as agricultural intensity has reduced with the fall of former communist governments.

The European ground squirrel has been in the news recently in Vienna, Austria, where a colony of the threatened squirrels is delaying the construction of a new apartment complex. Officials in the city are trying to lure the animals away from the site by designing and constructing a new park nearby. The fifteen acre park will include "a wide range of flowers and herbs" that designers hope will induce at least half of the ground squirrels to move voluntarily, after which the remaining squirrels will be persuaded through the use of "light pressure" (what this would involve is not explained).

Of course, one might think that a more obvious solution would be to build the apartments on the site of the planned park, and let the ground squirrels stay where they are.