Taking a Look at Squirrels

Unlike many other rodents the flying squirrel does not hibernate. Instead they group together during the winter and cold month’s to maintain warmth. Northern flying squirrels usually communicate with a soft low chirp but also cluck just like other squirrels when distressed. These squirrels also use scent and touch to communicate with one another; utilizing their excellent senses of hearing, smell, vision, and touch to correspond with the signals they emanate. “A major food source for the squirrels are mycorrhizal fungi (truffles) of many different species, though they also eat lichens, mushrooms, all mast-crop nuts, tree sap, insects, carrion, bird eggs and nestlings, buds and flowers. The squirrels are special in that they can find truffles by olfaction, which is the use of smell. They also seem to use clues such as the presence of wood debris, indicating a decaying log, and spatial memory of locations where truffles were found in the past. The northern flying squirrel is also known to stash food for when food supplies are lower such as in the winter. These caches can be in cavities in trees, as well as in the squirrels' nest, or even within the ground. Lichens and seeds are the commonly stored items” (9). Yet in this relationship the most important functions of this squirrel are to provide food for the owls, and in addition, to greatly

Three squirrels were tracked twice a week (in one case, once a week), every week for nine weeks. They were tracked using VHF tracking equipment. The moment the squirrel was found, a UTM coordinate was taken with a GPS. This data was then compiled on spreadsheets in the directory back in the lab.

In the beginning, the author introduces the nutria rat also known as coypu, it was first brought into the U.S. in 1899 in California for the fur industry. These creatures now live in 15 other states including Louisiana. They were released into “Louisiana wild by state and federal agencies to provide a new fur resource and to control problem plants such as the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) and alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides)” ( 1). It did not take long for them

In Deltona, FL there are angry squirrels attacking the elderly at the Sterling Court Retirement Community Center. The squirrels are biting the elderly in the arms, legs and back and they are also scratching. Not only are the squirrels attacking the residents in the community center but also the staff that tries to help with the angry squirrels. The squirrels are being tested and are getting trapped.

Craig W. Benkman, born on February 4th, 1956 in Burlingame, California. He is currently a professor at the University of Wyoming pursued his education at three different institutions to finally finish off with his Ph.D. Mr. Benkman first attended the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1978 to receive his Bachelors in Biology. He continued on to pursue his Masters at Northern Arizona University at Flagstaff, Arizona in 1981 studying Biology. His thesis consists of 95 pages that was titled “Co-Adaptations of red squirrels and Clark’s Nutcrackers with limber pine” under the guidance of Advisor Russell P. Balda. Lastly he attended State University of New York at Albany in 1985 where he studied Biology also. His dissertation, which was 185

Originated in 1996, due to the frustrations of squirrels destroying Richard Walsh’s bird feeder on his new deck, Ed Walsh, Richard’s brother came up with the concept of building a solar bird feeder to help Richard out. The concept of a bird feeder that allowed birds to continue to eat the bird seed, while preventing the squirrels from reaching the food and destroying the feeders, soon became an obsession for Ed. What once originated with a car battery developed over the years to a solar cell, and was successful until the squirrels discovered that they could eat early in the morning or late evenings before the battery charged. Bo Haeberle became involved in the bird feeder project after he overheard how much trouble Ed was having

Red squirrels are an important part of the ecosystem in which the oak lives. They are important because they eat off the oak trees. That is important because the soil is fertilized from the squirrel poop, which helps the trees. The trees are also not harmed because the acorns that they eat are the fruit of the tree. The trees also gave them a place to live. They raise their babies in the tree, and hide from

The Eastern Gray Squirrel or Sciurus carolinensis is an invasive species for the Western United States. Native of Eastern North America, it was brought to the west through people releasing them in a variety of places such as parks (Hoefler 1990). Even though it was brought away from it’s natural

This graph reflects genotype frequency over time and the domination of the gray squirrel (bb) population; they are almost 1 times to 4 times more than black squirrel populations (both BB &Bb) over generations. The black squirrel populations (both BB &Bb) is more stand out in the wooded environment, that’s why they become very noticeable to their predators. The situation becomes worsen during the colder months, the grayish trees give more advantage to gray squirrel (bb) population. Since the gray squirrel (bb) population is covered by grayish trees, black squirrel populations (both BB &Bb) are too obvious and become main target of the predators. Therefore, the black squirrel populations (both BB &Bb) size is keep decreasing; they almost extinct

h. fannini, it is expected that species with similar habitats will also benefit from the implemented protection measures. For instance, old growth forests have been shown to be critical habitat for other Species at Risk endemic species such as the Northern Goshawks (A. gentilis laingi), Black Bears (Ursus americanus carlottae), Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), and Saw-whet owls (Aegolius acadicus brooski) (Province of British Columbia & Council of the Haida Nation, 2007). Old growth forests also provide habitat for several small mammals, such as the deer mice, that rely on large coarse woody debris on the forest floor for habitat (pers. comm. Morin,

When determining the sloths’ selectivity for each habitat, only the available habitats were included in the calculation. An unavailabe habitat is one where it is uninhabitable due to a physical barrier. For example, in Figure 1 in the lower left hand corner is a lowland secondary forest. Although the sloths are able to live in such a environment, it is not included in the selection calculation since the mountainous environment is physically preventing the sloths from inhabiting the area. Using the Manly’s alpha formula it was determined that the two toed sloth, Choloepus hoffmanni, was selecting for the agriculture and old growth habitats, while selecting against the clear cut and secondary forest habitat. The the three toed sloth, Bradypus

Nutria are large semiaquatic rodents that appear to look like beavers with long, thin tails, however they are considered to be an invasive species. They survive in swamplands and typically other wetlands surrounding Louisiana. These organisms have created a problem to the Louisiana environment by creating openings in the marsh vegetation that sustains the Louisiana coastline and by weakening flood control levees that protect low-lying areas. Nutria are also known for their high procreative rates. Because of this, maintaining a well balance between the factors of supply and demand are difficult. Preventive measures and other available techniques have been presented in order to alleviate ongoing damage and to reduce the levels of damage already

Although reproductive requirements influence the behavior of ground squirrels, environmental conditions also limit aboveground activity. Prolonged exposure hot temperatures

Over the summer, I went to an amusement park with my family. This park is not only known for its rides and roller coasters, but also for the animal attractions. After a long day of riding roller coasters, we decided to go see the dolphin show. As we made our way to see the dolphin show, we passed by different animal attractions. The penguins that I once thought were adorable and lively, looked miserable, as they waddled in a dense space. Then I passed by a tank with two dolphins, I noticed that their skin, which was suppose to be delicate and rubbery, looked rough and damaged. Prior to this visit, I had been to the parks many times, but never had I felt the way I did that day. .

Squirrels are everywhere. With the increasing construction in the wilderness around the country, squirrels are beginning to lose their natural habitats. There are so many different squirrels out there because they don't have a lot of predators in common residential areas. When they start running out of trees and other areas to nest in because of the excessive construction, it is only natural for them to seek shelter wherever they can. When that shelter is in your attic or another part of your home, squirrel removal can quickly become an issue that you need to take care of.