Many people think of squirrels as pesky rodents – but we think they deserve some love.
This Squirrel Appreciation Day, we encourage you to show these fluffy little creatures a little appreciation!
Here’s why:
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They help our planet by planting trees
Did you know that squirrels are agents of reforestation? They love acorns – which they bury in various places to snack on in the cold winter months. But they don’t always come back for them – in fact, squirrels may fail to recover up to 74 percent of nuts they bury!
While this may be frustrating for the little guys, their forgetfulness is really good for the planet – because these buried acorns eventually turn into oak trees.
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Some squirrel species are going extinct
While there are over 200 squirrel species, some of them are at risk of disappearing due to reasons like urbanization and agricultural development.
The endangered squirrel species include San Joaquin antelope ground squirrel, Baja California rock squirrel, Perote ground squirrel, and many more.
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Squirrels are highly intelligent animals
Contrary to popular belief, squirrels are very smart!
Did you know they practice “deceptive caching?” It’s a little trick they use to fool would-be thieves. Squirrels pretend to bury a nut or (any other tidbit) by digging a small hole and covering it up as if they had hidden it – only that they don’t drop it in. Genius!
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They’re more organized than you
A study found that some squirrel species cache their nuts according to type, with designated places to hide different types of nuts! The squirrels were given pecans, almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts – and each nut was sorted and stored in various hiding places according to type. Yup, that’s squirrels being more organized than we’ll ever be.
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There are pigmy squirrels – and flying ones!
Ever heard of pygmy squirrels? Oh yes, they exist – and are cute beyond belief!
Plus, some squirrels can “fly” – or gracefully glide. That’s how they travel from one tree to another without touching the ground – and they can cover more than 150 feet in a single glide!
- Every animal deserves to be loved
Finally – we think that every animal deserves love and respect. And that includes squirrels! They’re living, sentient beings so show them some love this cold season!
Looking for most posts on how to help all animals? Check these out:
- The scary truth about animals as entertainment
- The biggest challenges cats face and how to help now
- The ethical issues of the meat industry you need to know about
- The best animal charities to support right now
Want to help spread the message? Take a look at our super cozy “Busy saving all the animals” cropped crewneck!
