Squirrels are crafty survivors

I used to wonder how a squirrel with a walnut-size brain could outwit a squirrel-proof bird feeder engineered by people with super-size brains.

We once owned a bird feeder engineered with a battery-powered mechanism at the base of a circular perch that slung off any critter heavier than a bird. It would abruptly hurl squirrels into the air. Until an Einstein squirrel clung to a nearby tree branch with its hind legs while reaching with its front feet to hold the perch down until the battery died.

Some people derisively call squirrels “tree rats.” Well, sort of. They’re classified in the same Rodentia order as rats but placed in a different family called Sciuridae, which includes the chipmunks and prairie dogs that most people think are so cute.

“Rascals” usually comes to mind when you think of squirrels.

Still, squirrels are survivors. They’ve adapted to such diverse terrains as city streets, suburban neighborhoods, deserts, forests and mountains. Texas squirrels are about a foot to 21 inches long and have a bushy tail up to 8 inches long.

The ancient Greek philosopher and naturalist Aristotle named the squirrel Skiouros, meaning “shadow tail.” He wasn’t far off. A squirrel uses its tail as a kind of umbrella to shield itself from rain. The tail also acts like a jacket for warmth in winter. On hot summer days, a squirrel will suffuse its tail with blood to bring down the temperature of its body. When leaping from one tree to another, a squirrel will fan its tail

NATURE

like a parachute in case of a fall to the ground. When walking atop a fence, a squirrel may swish its tail side to side for balance the way a tightrope walker uses a balancing pole.

A squirrel will flick its tail quickly, like fluttering a flag, as a warning signal to other squirrels that a hawk, cat, or other predator lurks nearby.

Come autumn, squirrels will gather tree nuts to stash away for winter food in holes they’ve dug in the ground. And they’ll know where to find their food caches by triangulating the locations using trees, houses and other landmarks.

Smart little buggers. But not smart enough to get across a busy street without being hit by a car. They’ll run with erratic twists and turns in front of an oncoming vehicle. But it’s an evasive tactic to confuse the approaching vehicle, which the squirrel

sees as a big four-legged predator.

Kathy Adams Clark / Contributor Squirrels have adapted to such diverse terrains as city streets, suburban backyards and forests.

Kathy Adams Clark / Contributor A squirrel uses its tail as an umbrella in the rain, a warm jacket in the cold, or a temperature regulator in the summer.