Squirrels
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One of the most vicious
animals in the World, squirrels can tear apart much larger animals
in a horrendous rage! Just kidding!
| In our Canadian
Rockies you can find red squirrels, northern flying squirrels,
golden mantled ground squirrels, 13 lined ground squirrels
and others. Squirrels eat seeds, fruit, insects, fungi,
conifer seeds and more. The conifer seeds are very important
as they are cut open by squirrels before ripening and then
stored for winter sustainance. It is both illegal and unwise
to feed any animals in the parks of Alberta. This kindness
can kill them! |
| Squirrels are cute, curious and downright bold. However
you should not feed them as they carry fleas, they can bite
and you can cause them harm with any kind of human food. If
you love animals leave them alone, please! |
Are squirrels nearby? Watch for piles
of cones on stumps or the ground. Keep eyes open for midden
(which is the discarded shells of previous nutmeals) at the
base of a tree and. The sharp-eyed may possibly see a mushroom
which an ambitious squirrel has left on a branch to dry in the
sun.
|
Golden
Mantled squirrels are the acrobatic
charmers of the forest. Their humorous antics and flash
in the pan reflexes make them a tourist favorite. About
a foot in length and half pound in weight they are smaller
than their cousins. Chestnut brown is the fur with a white
ring around the eyes. Two black stripes run most of the
length of the body.
(Sperophilus lateralis) |
Red
squirrels are very common in the
Rockies. They hide, live, eat and drink in forests. Their
high strung nature and constant loud chatter makes them
very visible and very popular. In many cases they are
scolding YOU for entering their private nut-kingdom. Fur
is glossy and brown and the underside is white. They too
have a white eye-ring and sport a long tail. They launch
themselves from branch to branch and scoot up trees faster
than humans run downhill!
(Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
Nicknames; chickaree, fairydiddle, piney |
| Squirrels will
snip conifer cones from the higher branches of evergreens
and let them fall to the ground. Later they group them up
and put them into storage for the winter! |
Pull up a stump in the Canadian
Rockies and watch the show!
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