Talk:Squirrel

These are some squirrel pictures (some not used in the article, but I don't know if there should be a squirrel gallery :)

		File:Northern flying squirrel.jpg
File:HarrissAntelopeSquirrel.jpg	File:Smallsquirrel.png
			File:Squirrel7778.JPG

Here is another one (in fact, a fox squirrel):

File:Squirrel on fence.jpg

I took this photo myself, so I will not just put it here on the main article. If, however, you also find that the anatomy of the animal is displayed rather nicely on the picture (mind the claws!), then feel free to use it instead of the current picture. I also like the current main picture, but the features of the squirrel are not so clear. --Markus Krötzsch 00:42, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Of course, even more pictures are available at Eastern Gray Squirrel. --Markus Krötzsch 00:48, 14 Jul 2004 (UTC)

• That is a fine photo! I have a squirrel's nest in my backyard, and I've snapped a few pictures, but none with quite that clarity. -- Funnyhat 06:38, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

one syllable

The claim that squirrelled is one syllable in American english slanderously promotes the position that all Americans sound like cowboys, decidedly non-NPOV. Oh, and squirrels are cute.

rabies?

I've been told by multiple sources that squirrels can't carry rabies. I have been unable to get anyone to explain why, although I speculate that either they don't catch it, or it kills them before it becomes contagious. I found a quote on the CDC website (which I will link into the article eventually) which indicates they are low risk, but again, does not explain why. --ssd 03:26, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)

They can carry rabies, they just don't represent a frequent source for transmission of the disease to humans. From a CDC page: "Rabies is seldom reported in smaller rodents, presumably because of the high degree of mortality and severe trauma that usually result from an attack by a rabid carnivore; however, Wyoming reported a case of rabies in a ground squirrel (Spermophilus sp) in 2000." [1]. Another interesting article, though it doesn't directly address the question: Woman bitten by rabid squirrel - Nunh-huh 03:36, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)

Well, it's certainly something we don't have to worry about in Ireland, or Britain for that matter. Nice that. Tetanus is the only thing to worry about if you get bitten by some creature.

Zoney 07:52, 27 Apr 2004 (UTC)

What's that about them carrying plague? Honestly Squirrels in general carry no more desese than any other wild animal... the artical makes it seem, that they are swarming with desese... as Zoney said, we don't get that sort of thing here in Britain.

Zikar

Squirrel Rat

Is it possible for a squirrel and rat to reproduce?

exceedingly unlikely. They are very different taxonomically (and therefore, unless we have the taxonomy wrong, genetically). Almost all hybrids occur within a single genus; squirrels and rats aren't even in the same family, the next level of classification up. So while it's always rash to say something could never happen, if it did happen, it would require us to rewrite an awful lot of biology that looks very well established. seglea 20:17, 9 Jun 2004 (UTC)

Behaviors

Since squirrels are quite common creatures it might be nice to have a section on behavioral patterns so it would be easy to identify certain actions. Here is a page that has some info, maybe permission could be obtained for use. jvstein 20:59, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Mating

It would be cool to get some info on the mating rituals of squirrels. I've tried to find the information from online sources, but as everyone thinks they are right, there is a lot of conflicting information. jvstein 20:59, 13 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Human consumption

I was watching something on TV and it presented squirrel for regular dining. It's actually being served in a few restauraunts in London actually. --Madchester 22:27, 18 November 2005 (UTC)

Feeding squirrels

- If you have a squirrel looking for food in your backyard, you can only feed the squirrel(s) if you can feed the squirrel(s) as long as you are living. This is because the squirrel(s) will become dependant on you, and they will not look for their own food. They will just come to you. If you are feeding a squirrel, I suggest white bread with a very, very thin layer of peanut butter. The squirrels like that. However, do not feed the squirrel by hand. Make sure that the squirrel sees the piece of bread, and throw it out. Feeding squirrels by hand is not recommended.

Deleted from article page. Palmiro | Talk 21:45, 24 November 2005 (UTC)

Too add to that I changed the "Feeding squirrels is not recommended" to "Hand feeding squirrels is not recommended". I did this because there is no physical danger of tossing a squirrel a peanut then standing back to watch it nibble away. It's also because I personally like feeding squirrels and am amused by their nibbling. Evan-Los Angeles-CA, USA

Fear the terrible blood-squirrels!

In Soviet Russia squirrels eat dog: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4489792.stm

I read that this morning. Easily one of the best news stories of the year, even though it doesn't seem to have been reported anywhere else so I'm yet unsure on its truth. Still, it is the BBC. Glad to see it's been placed in the article, though I doubt it'll stay long with just the one (possible) case. Jellypuzzle 22:02, 5 December 2005 (UTC)

Do squirrels hibernate?

Seriously, do they or do they just squirrel away food?

They don't hibernate. (10 January 2006)

Hibernation? I don't know....

Somebody told me that squirrels hibernate, but I really don't think they do. I have heard other people say they hibernate and some say they don't. So if you would, tell me the truth about this!

Ground squirrels hibernate, tree squirrels don't. Ground squirrels include chipmunks while tree squirrels include grey squirrels and variants. (January 16, 2006)

Smell not Memory

Recent studies have shown that squirrels use sense of smell not memory to find food that they have earlier buried. Researchers showed that squirrels found nuts that humans had buried just as often as the nuts that the squirrels had buried themselves. This should be reflected and changed in your main article. http://www.hww.ca/hww2.asp?id=89

In Bellingham's Western Washington University there is also a colony of black squirels, can these be western greys?

cleanup: diet & feeding behaviour?

This section is rather large and seems poorly organized. I added some material to it, (notably about what squirrels can digest, and some more details about food sources) but then I noticed a lot of stuff in this paragraph that maybe deserves a category of its own? Anyone have any ideas of how we could break this up? There is a lot of good stuff in this section and I feel it's too much information for one section, but I'm not exactly sure how to proceed. One thought I had would be a "squirrels as a pest" heading. Also, we could separate something about squirrels intelligence, ability to be trained, adapt, etc. into another paragraph? Cazort 17:58, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

Sleeping

Where do squirrels sleep? How come pictures never show a squirrel in any sort of "nest" or "burrow", or a sleeping squirrel anywhere else? Do male squirrels sleep in the same places as female squirrels? I’ve lived around squirrels my entire life, but nobody ever seems to mention where squirrels go at night.

For example, birds sleep in trees. I can look up into the tree and see bird nests, but I have never seen a squirrel nest.