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.

Why Did The Flying Squirrel Cross The Road?

In 2002, concerned scientists noticed that northern flying squirrels were unable to cross a stretch of scenic highway in the Unicoi Mountains of western North Carolina. This was a problem because the flying squirrels, which are declining in numbers, were unable to access foraging sites and get to others of their species for mating.

The Carolina northern flying squirrel is an endangered species that inhabits mountain forests of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The nocturnal squirrels glide by launching themselves from a tall tree, and can typically cover distances of up to about 80 feet. But the highway, along with an adjacent treeless area on both shoulders, created a space 125 feet wide, too much distance for the squirrels to cover.

Northern Flying Squirrel Gliding

Fortunately, biologists from the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission and North Carolina State University came up with a creative solution to this problem, and it seems to be working. The scientists have installed three pairs of wooden poles about 46 feet high, with launching platforms at the top of each pole. The poles in each pair are situated about 49 feet apart, on each side of the road. This gives the squirrels the means to launch themselves across the highway to find food, den sites, and mates.

A Northern Flying Squirrel at a Bird Feeder

To test whether the flying squirrels were using the platforms, the research team set up cameras at the poles for a 15 month period in 2009 and 2010. During this time, they captured 14 instances of the squirrels using the poles. Here is a video showing one of these instances:





It would be nice if the success of this project could lead to similar efforts in other locations. I have written about the squirrel bridges in the town of Longview, Washington, a very successful example of helping squirrels to avoid the dangers of road crossings. Unfortunately, not every effort has been so successful. In 2010, a proposal to erect rope bridges across two highways in Arizona to help the endangered Mount Graham red squirrel was defeated by that state's legislature, due to protests from right-wing politicians who objected to the cost. Hopefully Arizona's politicians will have a change of heart before it's too late for that threatened species.

Ban Animal Contest Kills

In the wake of the horrific Holley Squirrel Slaughter that I have written about, I have started a petition on Care2 asking the legislature of my home state, Texas, to ban all animal kill contests. You can click on the link or sign using the widget on the right hand side of the page.

Is Climate Change Creating A New Squirrel Species?

Is it possible that global warming could be causing the creation of new species of squirrels and other animals? According to a story on the Mother Nature Network website, climate change may be the cause for increasing numbers of hybrid flying squirrels being found in Canada.

These squirrels are hybrids of two species, the northern flying squirrel and the southern flying squirrel. As the names suggest, the northern flying squirrel is native to northern regions of the United States into Canada, while the southern flying squirrel is found further south in the United States. The northern flying squirrel is larger, and has a gray and white belly, while the smaller southern flying squirrel has an all-white belly. Hybrids between the two are the size of the southern flying squirrel, with mottled gray and white belly fur.

A northern flying squirrel visiting a
bird feeder

Recently, scientists in Ontario, Canada have discovered an increasing number of hybrids of the two species. Ontario is within the range of the northern flying squirrel, but is well to the north of the usual range for the southern flying squirrel. Researchers including Jeff Bowman theorize that warming temperatures are driving some species, including the southern flying squirrel, farther to the north, so that the ranges of these two species now overlap more than they did in the past. A recent survey found that around four percent of flying squirrels in Ontario are now hybrids.

A southern flying squirrel

This is certainly not the first example of hybridization between species. The story cites the example of cross-breeding between grizzly bears and polar bears, which may also increase with the effects of global warming. But Bowman and other scientists believe that the flying squirrels are the first documented case of a hybrid species specifically caused by human-generated climate change. It is not clear what the long-term impact of hybridization might be for the flying squirrels or other species. Might a new flying squirrel species created by cross-breeding be better adapted to deal with a warmer climate? It's too soon to tell.

Holley Squirrel Slaughter Update

Today, in Albany, New York, wildlife rehabilitator Carrie Leo is presenting almost 15,000 petition signatures at a news conference with NY state senator Tony Avella. The petition asks the village of Holley, NY and the Holley Fire Department to cancel its annual "Squirrel Slam," the fundraising event at which "hunters" will compete to kill squirrels. Prizes will be given in adult and youth categories to those who kill the heaviest squirrels, and in a separate drawing after the hunt, firearms will be awarded as prizes.

With less than a week to go before the bloodbath, the town seems to have dug in its heels and resisted the massive public call to stop the event. There has even been an effort to raise money for the fire department to replace the funds that it would lose if it did cancel the hunt.

Photo by Morgan Jamie Dunbar

What I am afraid that many of the supporters of the Squirrel Slam do not understand (or refuse to acknowledge) is that the protest is not about taking away their right to hunt or to own a gun. While I am sure that many of the protesters, myself included, do support common sense gun control measures, that is a separate issue. This protest is not about banning hunting, where a reasonable number of animals are taken for food. It is about holding a contest to kill as many squirrels as possible, for no purpose other than to win prizes. It is about encouraging children to think of pointless, purposeless killing as a fun way to spend an afternoon. It is about a culture that cheapens and trivializes life and death.

I still hold out hope that the town of Holley will  listen to the voices of all who are speaking out and decide to cancel the Squirrel Slam. If this year's event does go on, I hope that the powers that be in the town will quietly reconsider and find a more humane fundraising event for next year and future years going forward. And I hope that other communities that hold similar cruel and callous killing contests will look at the outcry over the Squirrel Slam and know that they too will risk the same negative spotlight of attention if they continue holding these events.

Update: Here is an account of Senator Avella's press conference that was held this afternoon.

Here is another account of the press conference, with video.