Wild Facts

Photo by J.M. Garg

Earlier this week I recounted my harrowing encounter with an Eastern Gray Squirrel.  Today we are going to talk about another squirrel that I don’t think could frighten me. Perhaps it is the stripes that makes them less fearful.  The Indian Palm Squirrel is about 20 cm long and weighs about 100 grams.  To check out this squirrel we need to head to India, Sri Lanka or Western Australia.  Just so you know these little squirrels only naturally occur in India and Sri Lanka.  They were introduced to Australia and have become a minor nuisance since they don’t have any natural predators to keep them in check.

They aren’t the biggest animals in the forest which is probably why the Indian Palm Squirrel feeds mostly on fruits and nuts.  Although they will also supplement their diet with yummy tasting insects.  I am really tempted to start eating insects considering how many animals out there love to feed on them.  They must be delicious! The first person to try feeding solely on insects for a week will get 50000 Wild Fact Points!

Some squirrels are smart and tend to hibernate in the winter but this particular squirrel is not one of them.  Nope, they prefer to tough it out although they won’t leave the nice warm, comfy nest until the afternoon sun is shining.  To tell you the truth, I think I might try this method next winter.  Sorry boss! I can’t make it in until the sun is high in the sky.  Do you think he will go for it?

I think I will keep today’s fact short and sweet but before I go here is one last fact, well sort of!

Indian Palm Squirrel Fast Fact – An old Hindu legend explains how the Indian Palm Squirrel received the 3 stripes across its back.  Basically, this squirrel helped Lord Rama and Vanara Sena build a bridge. The squirrel would roll in the sand and then run over to the bridge site and shake all the sand off.  Lord Rama was very impressed with the dedication of the Indian Palm Squirrel and left 3 stripes across his back as he petted him. It is important to note that this association with Lord Rama could be part of the reason that squirrels are considered sacred in India.  Can any readers validate this legend?

Photo by Ed Sweeney

So I am walking down a sketchy, gravel path in the heart of Ottawa today.  You know the type of path where you expect to find used needles and muggers at every corner.  I just start thinking that I should turn around and head back to safety when this big, black squirrel lunged out of the forest at me.  Alright, maybe he just jumped out onto a nearby log but nonetheless he managed to scare me.  I figured this would be a good time to write about my potential deadly predator, the Eastern Gray Squirrel.

I guess you may be confused since they are called the Eastern Gray Squirrel but I said it was a black squirrel that jumped out at me.  Well, this particular squirrel comes in two colour phases. Yep, you guessed it they can either be gray or black with the black colour phase being dominant in Ontario and Quebec regions.  Interestingly enough this black colour phase is not found in the Eastern Gray Squirrel as you head further south into the United States of America.  This has created some assumptions that the black colour phase is an adaptation to the cold weather climate we experience here in Canada.

The size of this squirrel is usually between 38 to 53 cm (15 to 21 inches) but I am sure the squirrel that scared me was at least 6 feet long and weighed about 150 pounds.  It is a good thing I didn’t try to run when I panicked since these squirrels are able to reach speeds up to 25 km/hr.  For the record I can’t run that fast.

The most prominent feature of the Eastern Gray Squirrel, aside from their death piercing, beady, little eyes, is obviously their tail.  As with other squirrels their tail serves many purposes.  It will act as a rudder when they are jumping from tree to tree or as a blanket in the winter and an sun umbrella in the summer.  The Eastern Gray Squirrel will also use this tail to let other squirrels know how they are feeling that day.  It acts as a very important tool for squirrel communication.

I am off to recover from my harrowing experience but I hope you enjoyed today’s post.

Photo Courtesy of Lee's Photoblog at http://wildlife.aminus3.com/. Thanks Lee!

One of my readers asked a question regarding squirrel communication. They wanted to know if a squirrel is similar to the chickadee.  Remember in Wild Fact #991 when I explained how the number of “dees” at the end of the call will often relate to the danger of the threat below.

You can always hear squirrels chattering away in the trees.  Generally, these vocalizations are more related to the possessive nature of the squirrel.  Basically, if something (or someone) comes into their territory or near their food source or anything that they think is theirs, they will chirp, chirp and chirp some more.  All they are saying is “this is mine so you better back off”.  They are similar to the “Mine, Mine, Mine” gulls in Finding Nemo.  As well, squirrel chatter will increase during mating season, which is between February and March and again between June and July (although these times could be later in more northern latitudes).  Squirrels will also make a lot of racket to warn other squirrels of potential predators but to this point there has been no proof as to whether or not they distinguish between the severity of the threat.  One of the more interesting techniques that squirrels use for communicating is the flicking of their tail.  Quite often they will put on an impressive display with their tail to get a point across.  On a side note, they also use their large tails to protect them from the sun, rain and cold.  As well, it provides the perfect balancing pole for those tricky tight rope walks through the trees. Even though, the squirrel is very vocal, I would be willing to bet that most of those vocalizations outside of the mating season are to say that this is their “whatever” and to back away.

So, now comes the hard part, try not to get too offended the next time you are filling up the bird feeder and your friendly, neighbourhood squirrel is chirping away at you.  Remember, the squirrel thinks that food is theirs!!