What a squirrel can do like humans. Animals in spring

Squirrels have seen each of us, these cute and defenseless creatures live all over the world. Often they can be found not only in the forest zone, but also in parks. Their bright colors and appearance attracts attention and it will be difficult not to notice them, but it is unlikely that it will be possible to pet them, the animal is shy and rather agile. You can try to attract them with food, especially in the cold season. Meeting with them is always a holiday, even if it does not last very long.

Appearance

The squirrel is a very nimble animal, but still it is quite easy to notice and distinguish it from other rodents. Its color is different not only from the species, but also from the season. In summer, they have a brown or dark brown, black, white and even gray color.

There are also representatives whose wool has unusual view, for example, the main color is black, which is diluted not only with red, but also with white shades. The belly always has a lighter color or it is generally pure white.

In winter, many representatives change their color to lighter, ashy or even white. The quality of the fur also changes, it becomes stiff, but shorter.

These cute animals have a medium-sized body, up to twenty-eight centimeters, but long tail, which can reach a length of up to nineteen centimeters. The tail is fluffy, but due to the hairs, which are quite long, it seems flat.

The head is small with small black eyes that look more like beads. Another distinctive feature of many types of squirrels are the tassels on the ears.

habitats

Squirrels live everywhere: throughout Europe, most of Asia, in Russia and even on many islands. However, you will not meet her in Australia and Madagascar.

They prefer to settle in forest and park areas, where trees grow abundantly. They adapt well to both cold and heat.

They take shelter on trees, more often choose conifers, but do not disdain deciduous ones. They can change their house if the year turned out to be lean and settle in another place. They often live in cedar forests because of the abundance of food of their favorite food.

It can easily get along next to people, perhaps it sees a certain plus for itself in this - people usually feed these funny animals, especially in cold weather.

Now you can have squirrels as a pet, but you should not bring them from the forest to your home. Such individuals are likely to die in unusual conditions for themselves or due to stress. They are also carriers of dangerous diseases that a person can get from them. If you want to have this cute creature in your home, be sure to buy it only in specialized stores and bring it home after being examined by a veterinarian.

Lifestyle and habits

They do not live in packs or pairs, almost always stay alone. Squirrels are very mobile and it is quite difficult to single out a specific habitat for them. The squirrel spends most of its life in trees, moving from one to another with the help of jumps. And her rather large tail, which she uses as a rudder, helps her in this. A squirrel's long jump can be up to several meters, which is very significant given the size of its body. A squirrel can jump much further to the bottom, up to fifteen meters.

She descends to the ground most often for food and supplies for the winter, moving also by jumping. When it is light and warm, it constantly collects food and everything that can be useful to it. When, due to snow, there is no such opportunity, he sits in a hollow. It does not come out at night and is considered a diurnal animal.

AT autumn months can migrate if they understand that there is no required amount provisions for the winter. The reason for migration can also be fires, drought or other cataclysms. They rarely go far from their previously settled places, more often they stop in safe places or in neighboring forests. Young individuals are also subject to migration after they leave their parental nests.

Squirrels rarely live more than four years, but there are exceptions, in captivity with good food they can live more than ten years.

Hollow

Squirrels live in a hollow in which they build a nest. Nests can only be made by females, males only occupy their homes abandoned earlier by females or settle in the dwellings of birds.

The squirrel makes two exits from the hollow, one of which is the main one, the other is used only in case of danger or attack. Nests consist of twigs, for warmth they are laid with moss, lichen, grass, leaves and even their fur.

They can build their squirrels outside the hollow, just on the branches, but in regions where there can be severe frosts, they still prefer to settle in the hollow and spend most of the time there, waiting out the bad weather. Most often, one squirrel has several of these houses and moves from one to another as needed.

Food

These cute little animals need a lot of food, in a week they eat as much food as they weigh themselves. They go out for food in the morning or late in the evening, sleep at night after an active day.

Most squirrels love to eat seeds. coniferous trees:

• pines;
• larch, fir and especially cedar.

AT mixed forests can satisfy hunger with acorns and various nuts. With a lack of basic food, they switch to eating various berries, mushrooms, roots and lichens.

If it is difficult to find complete nutrition protein will eat the kidneys, larvae and even the bones of small rodents. Basically, this happens at the beginning of spring, when there is no way to find something else.

Stocks

In summer, the food of the squirrel is varied and very rich. But in order not to experience hunger in the winter, she makes stocks, which speaks of her pretty good quick wits. Basically, they consist of acorns, nuts and nests dried among the twigs. Can put in reserve even a whole cone.

Since squirrels do not have one hollow with a nest, but several, they often have enough supplies for the whole winter. Even with her bad memory, she will always stumble upon something to eat.

Some inhabitants of the forest, for example, other species of rodents or birds, can take advantage of its reserves and feast on them during the difficult and cold winter. Proteins, in principle, do the same thing. Having a certain supply of food, they still go out in search of food and often, finding other people's supplies under the snow, do not disdain them, but, on the contrary, they take everything for themselves.

Wintering

Most of the winter, the squirrel spends in a hollow, escaping from the cold. It prefers to move along the branches of trees, descending to the ground only occasionally. In winter, she only emerges from her hiding place in exceptional cases, most often due to lack of food. Although these animals are very thrifty, food may not be enough due to the fact that in cold weather there can be up to six individuals in the hollow. Being in a hollow, they all together warm each other and do not allow to die even in severe frosts.

Squirrels are very sensitive to weather changes, if you want to know the current forecast, pay attention to their behavior. If even on a clear day they sit in the nest, then most likely there will be a severe frost or a blizzard.

She begins to feel the arrival of spring early, which can also be learned from her behavior. Indeed, at the end of winter, closer to the heat, the mating season begins. The animals become more active and begin to come out of their hiding places more and more often.

reproduction

These animals can breed up to three times a year. The mating season begins around February and ends, tentatively, in March. At this time, males begin to behave especially aggressively. They attack their rivals in the fight for the female, and this is not surprising, because up to six males can fight for the attention of one female at once. The choice will still be for the female, as a rule, she chooses the most hardy and strong male.

The squirrel bears her cubs for about forty days; in the first days of pregnancy, she builds a family nest where her babies will live. It is larger and warmer than the nest she usually builds.

There are no more than ten cubs in the litter, which, after their birth, are taken care of exclusively by the female.

Squirrels are born blind and without hair, but after two weeks they are covered with hair, and after a month they begin to see. Two months after birth, the cubs become completely independent.

Enemies in nature

Squirrels are attacked by many animals, especially foxes and martens, from birds greatest danger represents a hawk.

Worms, fleas and ticks are constantly on animals, causing some discomfort, but almost no effect on the population.

Humans are also dangerous to them. Squirrel hunting is a fairly popular activity, many are engaged in poaching, and more often this happens just for fun, and not for getting meat or fur from this animal.

Also, a significant part of these animals die from the lack of the required amount of food.

Squirrel hunting

Squirrels have valuable fur and no less valuable meat, which is very popular with gourmets all over the world. To hunt this animal, you do not need to have much experience and knowledge, and it is easy to find its habitat. Therefore, catching and shooting them is so popular with hunters.

Proteins are distributed almost all over the world (with the exception of Australia). The mobile mammal belongs to the rodent family. There are many most various kinds These animals differ in size, coat color, habits and habitat. They can be woody and earthy, fluffy and not so, there are even prickly specimens. Where a squirrel lives depends largely on what species it belongs to. But all of them are rather good-natured and cute animals, causing general delight with their behavior.

types of squirrels

In total, there are about 200 of them in the world. The most unusual and funny live mainly in North America. These include chipmunk and ground striped squirrels that live in burrows, as well as black, Carolina gray and aberta that prefer trees. AT Russian Federation the red-haired representative of this family is more common. It is also called the common squirrel. Flying squirrels are also found in some forests, and chipmunks in the southern steppes.

Where it lives and depends on its type. For example, they do not have such fluffy tails as those of trees. After all, the latter use them for "steering" when jumping and balancing on branches. And the chipmunk does not need such wealth at all: he earns his livelihood on the ground. In flying squirrels, jumping over impressive distances, their paws are connected by membranes that can open in the air like a parachute.

habits of common squirrels

This typical inhabitant of Russian forests, from the taiga to the southern latitudes, is a real beauty. Twice a year (in spring and autumn) she changes her fur coat so that in summer she can flaunt in bright red, and in winter to be less noticeable in a gray, insulated outfit. An ordinary squirrel lives in a hollow, less often - just in a nest twisted in dense branches. Many animals have several such houses. In one she lives and breeds, and uses the rest as pantries.

It does not hibernate in winter, and it is rather tight with acorns and nuts - the main food of this rodent - during cold weather. So the household little animal stores them for himself for a rainy day, hiding them in nests. How a squirrel lives in the forest is easy to see if you visit the nearest grove or a large park. These animals are quite sociable and often treat people with confidence, with pleasure treating themselves to the brought delicacy in the form of nuts or seeds. But we must remember that the squirrel is a wild creature. She has sharp teeth and long claws, so it is better not to feed them from the hands, especially to small children.

Tree squirrel diet

The main food of the taiga beauty is pine nuts and acorns. Depending on where the squirrel lives, its menu can be diluted with seeds of other cones, mushrooms, berries, and even bird eggs. Yes, this cute and, at first glance, harmless creature often destroys nests. In summer, there are no problems with food. But with the onset of cold weather, fallen acorns are covered with snow, mushrooms do not grow, and cones are not so easy to find. But the thrifty animal fills its pantries with supplies in advance. Therefore, in the hollows of trees in the forests where the squirrel lives, you can easily find deposits of nuts and dried mushrooms, acorns and seeds.

If the year turned out to be lean, she will not disdain young tree branches, buds and even bark. And the squirrel is able to move impressive distances in search of food. Moreover, animals do this en masse and can run for several days almost without a break. Where the squirrel lives, there are often bumps with characteristic marks of their teeth. These animals play an important role in the propagation of spruce, pine and other plants by spreading their seeds.

reproduction

Squirrels mate, as a rule, 2 times a year (in spring and autumn). But it happens that the female manages to bring out 3 litters of offspring. She finds a groom for herself for season 1. It is difficult to call him the father of the family, because after his participation in the process of conception, he simply runs away. All worries about the upbringing of offspring, building a nest and the safety of baby squirrels are taken over by their mother. Although there are exceptions when parents feed and protect them in turn.

In spring, there are usually fewer cubs (from 2 to 4). In autumn, after the female has fattened and gained weight, she can bring up to a dozen baby squirrels. They are born blind and helpless, but thanks to the care of their mother, they grow up quite quickly. After just a couple of months, the squirrel can leave their completely independent children and begin to improve their personal lives. It is not uncommon for them to crowd for a long time in one nest. Sometimes the mother also returns to them, but with her younger brothers and sisters. By next spring, the kids themselves will be able to reproduce offspring. Given how many years squirrels live in natural environment, it's quite normal. Average duration for tree species does not exceed 4 years, but sometimes reaches up to 9.

Zoologists have noticed that the squirrel often adopts neighboring orphan cubs. She drags them into her own nest and takes care of them like her own.

flying squirrels

This is the most remarkable animal from the whole family. It is found in Russian forests and there are about a dozen varieties on the planet. Despite a number of significant differences, both external and behavioral, they are united by the way they move. They can climb trees just like their ordinary relatives. Outwardly, the animal is not very remarkable - gray in color with a darker back. Spotting a flying squirrel can be difficult. On the trees, it is perfectly disguised, and practically does not descend down. But if it becomes necessary to overcome a distance of several tens of meters at a time, she spreads her legs in a jump and opens the membranes covered with fur, planning, as if on a parachute. With the help of a rather long flexible tail, the animal is able to correct the trajectory. Before “landing”, the flying squirrel moves to a vertical position and clings to the trunk with all its paws. So she can fly from one tree to another, overcoming up to 50 meters at a time.

ground squirrels

They live mainly in North America, but are occasionally found in Central Asia. Outwardly, they are more reminiscent of their closest relatives - chipmunks, which can be distinguished by their characteristic striped back. These squirrels live in burrows, where they also build nests and breed. They are not as attractive as ordinary ones, and are deprived of their main decoration - a large fluffy tail. They have it, but the most common one. The animals feed mainly on nuts, grains and other seeds, sometimes prey on small insects.

Human influence on the number of animals

Being one of the commercial fur animals, the common squirrel has been mercilessly exterminated for decades for the sake of its own fur. But, due to its fertility, it does not belong either to endangered species, or even to rare ones. bad joke it was not the fur that played with it, but many squirrels were forced to leave their habitual habitat due to the mass, thus violating the balance of the ecosystem. First of all, this concerns the taiga regions. But in last years, thanks to the protection of forest lands and the organization of reserves, the animals feel much more comfortable.

How squirrels live in captivity

Surprisingly longer than in nature. Being in a zoo cage or even in an ordinary apartment, the squirrel feels pretty good. Especially if she creates conditions close to natural. To do this, you will need a few branches and pieces of bark so that she builds a nest for herself. And also a special wheel in which the squirrel will run, compensating for the limited space. With proper care, the animal can live up to 12 years. Moreover, captivity is perfectly tolerated by ordinary red-haired beauties, and black ones, and chipmunks.

The squirrel is a very cute little animal belonging to the rodent family. In nature, they do not live very long, but they are perfectly mastered in captivity. Squirrels are very different: large and very tiny, with a chic fur coat and nondescript, and they can live both on trees and in burrows, depending on the variety.

Squirrels - small rodents from the squirrel family are very common in the world, many of them live, as in wild forests, and city parks, squares, gardens. Everyone knows that squirrels love nuts most of all, and sometimes, by tapping these very nuts, a squirrel can even be lured closer. What are the habits of squirrels, habitats, diet and many other interesting things about this amazing animal, read on.

Protein: description, structure, characteristics. What does a squirrel look like?

The appearance of a squirrel is perhaps familiar to everyone - a long body, the same long ears, a fluffy tail. The ears of the squirrel are elongated, sometimes with tassels at the end. The paws of the squirrel are strong, with sharp claws at the end, thanks to this structure of the paws, all squirrels easily climb trees.

The tail of a squirrel is very long, it is as much as 2/3 of the total size of this rodent, and nature has given such a large tail to squirrels not only for the sake of beauty, it also has one important and useful feature- serves as a kind of “steering wheel” for squirrels when flying from tree to tree. And during sleep, squirrels cover their body with their tail like a blanket.

The size of the squirrel depends on the species, on average, the squirrel is 20-31 cm in length, although there are both larger squirrels with a length of 50 cm, and smaller squirrels, whose body length is only 5-6 cm. Such for example smallest mouse squirrel.

The coat of a squirrel differs in winter and summer, due to the fact that this animal sheds twice a year. In winter, the squirrel's coat is fluffy and dense, and in summer, on the contrary, it is short and more rare. The winter color of the squirrel is usually dark brown, red, gray, with a white tummy; in the summer, the squirrel is usually red.

Also, flying squirrels have a special membrane on their sides that allows them to glide during flight.

How long do squirrels live in nature and at home?

The maximum lifespan of a squirrel is 12 years. That's just up to such a respectable (by the standards of proteins, of course) age, these rodents live only at home, in captivity. Squirrels living in the forest usually rarely even live up to 4 years. Not only because they have many natural enemies, but also often forest squirrels perish from hunger, cold and disease.

Where do squirrels live?

Squirrels live almost everywhere, with the exception of Australia, the island of Madagascar, the polar territories, the south South America and desert parts of Africa.

As habitats, squirrels live exclusively in forests, where there are many trees, so they are not found in the deserts of northern Africa and, in general, in places with minimal vegetation. Trees and squirrels are eternal companions, where there are trees, these rodents are also likely to be there. Moreover, squirrels spend most of their lives on trees, it is unnecessary to say that they are in their native element on trees, easily climb them, jump from branch to branch.

What do squirrels eat

What do these cute animals eat? Of course, hazelnuts, but not only them, in addition to nuts, acorns, seeds of coniferous trees: spruce, pine, cedar and others, as well as mushrooms and various grains, are included in the diet of proteins. Being an omnivore, the squirrel is not averse to eating various beetles, toads, and even bird chicks. In case of crop failure and hunger, the squirrel eats the bark of trees, lichens, rhizomes and herbaceous plants.

Enemies of squirrels in nature

The squirrel itself can also become prey, since natural conditions she has many enemies who are not averse to eating squirrels. Among them are martens, owls, and even.

Squirrel in winter. How does a squirrel prepare for winter?

All squirrels are preparing thoroughly for the arrival of winter. First of all, they make a lot of hiding places for their food supplies, which they also gather in advance. As a rule, they collect acorns, nuts and mushrooms, which they then hide in tree hollows or dug holes. Unfortunately, the collected squirrel stocks are often stolen by other animals, and fluffy rodents completely forget about some of their shelters. However, this forgetfulness of the squirrels is beneficial to the forest, since the seeds, acorns and nuts forgotten by the squirrels often germinate and acquire new plantations.

As for the behavior of proteins in winter time, then during severe frosts, squirrels sit in their hollows, immersed in half-asleep. If the winter cold is not so strong, the squirrels lead a normal active lifestyle, sometimes they even plunder the hiding places of mice and chipmunks.

squirrel in spring

But early spring- the most difficult time for squirrels, since winter stocks have already been eaten or forgotten, and new ones have not yet appeared and have not grown. At this time, there is practically nothing for squirrels to eat, and it is in early spring that squirrels can die of hunger. To survive, rodents can only eat the bark of trees, plant shoots.

Types of squirrels, photos and names

In total, as many as 280 species of squirrels live on planet Earth, which are included in 48 genera. Next, we describe the most interesting views protein.

This is the most common type squirrel family, an ordinary squirrel lives throughout Eurasia from Ireland to Japan, including is not afraid to live next to a person. It is she who we most often see when walking in a park or forest. Has a red color.

This squirrel lives in the coniferous forests of the USA and Mexico. More different from other proteins large size, its length is 46-58 cm and gray hair.

She is also a Guiana squirrel, lives in a number of countries in South America. Small in size, only 20 cm long. Has a dark brown color.

Also known as the Persian squirrel, it lives in the Middle East and the Caucasus. It has a medium squirrel size and a brownish-gray color.

Another representative of American squirrels, the Carolina squirrel lives in the forests of the USA, Mexico and Canada. Has a gray color with brown and red tan marks. The sizes of these proteins are also somewhat large - 40-50 cm in length.

This Venezuelan squirrel has a distinctive red head and ears, hence its name.

Dwelling in tropical forests The Central and South American red-tailed squirrel boasts its bright red tail and is larger (30-50 cm long) than other squirrels in size.

This squirrel is remarkable, first of all, in that it is the largest squirrel in the world, it has a body length of 50-60 cm. It also has a silver-gray color, but its abdomen is white. Lives in Mexico and the USA, mainly in coniferous forests.

The Japanese squirrel inhabiting the Japanese islands has a beautiful gray color and medium squirrel size.

And this squirrel, on the contrary, is remarkable in that it is the smallest squirrel in the world, it has only 5-6 cm in length.

Reproduction of squirrels

The mating season for most species of squirrels comes in the spring, paradoxically at the most difficult time for these animals. Moreover, squirrels usually lead a solitary way of life, and only for the time of mating are they looking for a partner. Around one female often gathers two or three males. Males start a real fight for a female, they rumble at each other, try to scare a competitor, and sometimes arrange real fights with chases along the branches. As expected in nature, as a result, the female goes to the strongest male, who managed to drive away his competitors.

After mating, the pregnant female builds a separate nest for future offspring. Pregnancy in a squirrel lasts 35-38 days. From 1 to up to 10 cubs can appear at a time. Baby squirrels are born without wool and blind, only after 2 weeks they begin to see clearly. The first 50 days of life, the squirrels are under the care of their mother, they are fed with her milk. But after two months, they begin to grow up quickly, leave the mother's nest, and a year later they become adult and sexually mature squirrels.

Since the squirrel is a very cute animal, it is not surprising that sometimes people keep them in captivity. When keeping a squirrel at home, it is important to create suitable conditions for her to live. Since the squirrel active rodent, she needs a spacious aviary with a length and width of at least half a meter. The enclosure should have a nest or a birdhouse, branches on which the squirrel will jump, shelves on which it will sit.

It is also, of course, very important to ensure that the protein proper nutrition. You can feed this animal with fresh or dried mushrooms, pine nuts, acorns, hazelnuts. Cones with seeds will also appeal to the squirrel. To make up for a protein deficiency, it will be helpful to give your pet chalk or eggshells.

With due perseverance, you can tame a squirrel to eat from your hand. It is important that you do not feed the squirrel with peanuts and salted seeds, they are harmful to it.

• All squirrels are very clean, but male squirrels are especially clean, so the male spends even more time caring for his fur coat than the female.
• The structure of the squirrel's body is such that it is somewhat reminiscent of a parachute, thanks to this, even when falling from a height of up to 30 meters, the squirrel will not receive any damage.
• Squirrels can be very voracious and, under favorable conditions, the protein is able to eat food equal to the mass of the squirrel itself.

Squirrel, video

And finally, very interesting documentary about the unusual abilities of squirrels - "Super squirrels".

This nimble red-haired animal (known to zoologists under the species name "common squirrel") is so common on Russian expanses that got on the coats of arms of cities and villages. Two squirrels flaunt on the coat of arms of Zelenograd, one adorns the coat of arms of Yakutsk and a pair of squirrels is depicted on the coat of arms of the village of Yarensk (Arkhangelsk region), which until 1924 had the status of a city.

Description of the common squirrel

The rodent, which is part of the family, is called Sciurus vulgaris in Latin and has another half-forgotten name - veksha. Of all the representatives of the genus squirrels (and these are 30 species living in Europe, Asia, South and North America), only one single species, the common squirrel, lives on the territory of Russia.

Appearance

This cute fast animal is similar to other squirrels. Veksha has a proportional slender body, which ends in an extremely fluffy, somewhat flattened tail from 13 to 19 cm (about 2/3 of the body length). The tail looks flat due to long hairs (3-6 cm), splayed in both directions.

An ordinary squirrel grows up to 19–28 cm, gaining a mass of about 250–340 g in adulthood. The animal has a rounded head with dark beady eyes and long funny ears topped with tassels sticking up (in winter they become more noticeable).

Vibrissae, which have a special sensitivity, adorn not only the muzzle, but also the front paws and abdomen. The squirrel belly, by the way, is always lighter than the top or painted white. The front legs are much shorter than the hind legs. The limbs are equipped with sharp, tenacious claws.

Important! The size of the common squirrel decreases from the mountainous regions to the plains, the size of the skull also becomes smaller from south to north, and the color of the fur brightens towards the central point of the range.

By the winter cold, the common squirrel grows taller and more fluffy fur, but in the summer it changes its structure, turning into a short, hard and sparse one.

Coloring

In terms of color variability, Veksha is the undoubted leader among the numerous fauna of the vast Palearctic region: it changes the color of its coat depending on the season, subspecies, and even being within the boundaries of its population.

In summer, the squirrel outfit is designed in brown, red or dark brown tones, in winter period the coat becomes gray, sometimes almost black (occasionally with a brown tinge). There are also piebalds among Vekshas, ​​whose coat is diluted with white spots, as well as specimens with completely black fur (melanists) and, conversely, with a complete absence of pigment (albinos).

For Far Eastern, Carpathian and Manchurian subspecies common squirrel characteristic brown and black shades of winter wool. And teleut squirrels (the largest representatives of the veksha in the territory former USSR) show silver-gray and bluish coloration in winter, as well as a pale gray (with an admixture of black and yellowish-rusty) tail.

Teleut squirrels belong to the so-called grey-tail squirrels (which is determined by the winter color of the tail). Along with them, veks are divided into "browntail", "redtail" and "blacktail".

Moult

A change of coat in a common squirrel happens, like in most animals, twice a year.. The squirrel tail has its own cycle of fur renewal: it sheds only once a year. spring molt falls, as a rule, on April - May, and autumn takes place from September to November.

As you know, the molt of all mammals is controlled by the duration daylight hours regulating the functioning of the pituitary gland. The latter produces thyrotropin, which (in turn) acts on the activity thyroid gland, which starts the molt.

It is interesting! Sexually mature males always begin to molt earlier than females and young vekshi-year-olds born in current year. The spring change of fur goes from the head to the base of the tail, and the autumn one - from the root of the tail to the head.

The timing of molting is very variable, as it depends on the availability of food and climatic conditions. With an abundant forage base, the change of squirrel wool begins and ends earlier, in lean crops it is not only delayed, but also stretched.

Lifestyle, character

This mobile rodent does not differ in territoriality; therefore, the individual sections of the squirrel are usually not only not expressed, but often overlap one another.

Veksha leads a predominantly arboreal lifestyle, showing particular vigor in the morning and evening hours.. It is at this time that she scours the forest in search of food, which takes 60-80% of her active time. Noticing the danger, he prefers to hide in the crown of a tree.

The squirrel easily flies from one tree to another, overcoming 3–4 m in a straight line and 10–15 m in a downward arc, using its tail as a rudder. In winter, in order not to freeze its paws, it jumps more on the tops. During the mating season, as well as in the absence of snow, it usually moves along the ground (by jumps up to 1 m).

In the most severe frosts and during the revelry of bad weather, she is able to sit incessantly in a shelter, falling into half-asleep. Only a persistent feeling of hunger can force a veksha to come out of hiding in winter.

Where does the squirrel live

Whatever the squirrel house, it will always be located on a tree. AT deciduous forest The squirrel likes to settle in hollows, stuffing them with tree lichens, grass and dry leaves.

AT coniferous forest she usually builds nests (25–30 cm in diameter), placing them at a height of 7–15 m among dense branches. Veksha gives the shape of a ball to such a nest, called a gain, lining it inside with leaves, hairs, moss and grass.

It is interesting! In order not to bother with building a nest, the squirrel occupies a birdhouse. Males do not bother building their own nest, but settle in housing left by females or in empty nests of magpies, thrushes and crows.

Information about large-scale migrations of squirrels can be found in old Russian chronicles.

Migrations occur at the end of summer - the beginning of autumn, and the motivating factor is often Forest fires and drought, but more often a meager harvest of staple squirrel food, nuts or conifer seeds.

Long-distance and long migrations of 250–300 km are rare: as a rule, squirrels move over more modest distances to the neighboring forest area.

When migrating, the rodents jump singly, but form a wide front (approximately 100–300 km), without straying into flocks and large groups. Mass character is noted only in front of natural obstacles.

During migrations, the squirrel crosses many natural areas and barriers, including:

• steppe;
• tundra and forest tundra;
• islands;
• sea ​​bays and rivers;
• Mountain peaks;
• settlements.

Migration is always accompanied by the death of squirrels that drown, freeze, die of exhaustion and fall into the teeth of predators.

Along with mass migrations, seasonal ones are observed, which are associated with the transition of young animals to an independent life, as well as with the gradual maturation of feed. Seasonal migrations with lack of fodder are transformed into migrations.

The dispersal of young veksha occurs in August/September and October/November, when they move 70–350 km from their native nests.

True, some of the mature squirrels remain in place. They only change the composition of the diet, switching to low-calorie vegetation with a high concentration of fiber:

• lichens;
• kidneys;
• bark of young shoots;
• needles.

It is this group of rodents that becomes the basis for the restoration of the local squirrel population.

Lifespan

In nature, a very short lifespan is measured for an ordinary squirrel: an individual older than 4 years is considered old. Such "long-livers" in the population make up no more than 10%. But in captivity (without enemies and with good nutrition), the veksha lives up to 10-12 years.

Range, habitats

The common squirrel (represented by 40 subspecies) has chosen the boreal zone of the Eurasian continent from the shores of the Atlantic to Kamchatka, Sakhalin and about. Hokkaido.

The animal filled Siberia, Far East and the European part of Russia. The first squirrels entered Kamchatka around 1923–24. Veksha even adapted to life in the Tien Shan, and in the Caucasus and Crimea, she settled into cultural landscapes (vineyards and orchards).

The squirrel, as a typical forest inhabitant, prefers mixed coniferous-deciduous forests with an abundant forage base (tree seeds).

In addition, the animal willingly settles in plantations such as:

• cedar forests;
• thickets of cedar elfin;
• spruce forests;
• larch forests;
• fir forests;
• mixed pine forests.

It is noticed that the density of the squirrel population decreases to those northern regions, where pine and larch woodlands predominate.

Nutrition of an ordinary squirrel

The gastronomic interests of veksha are extensive (over 130 items), but the main food is coniferous seeds, including common pine, spruce, Siberian cedar, larch and fir. AT southern regions, where there are many oak forests (with thickets of hazel), willingly gnaws on hazelnuts and acorns.

With a crop failure of the main feed, the protein passes to the buds and shoots of trees, rhizomes and tubers, lichens, berries, herbaceous plants and mushrooms (preferring deer truffle).

With a lack of food, the protein turns into a pest, eating the flower buds of fir trees. During love games, it often switches to animal food - insects with larvae, chicks, eggs and small vertebrates.

The squirrel is prudent and stocks up for the winter with nuts, acorns and cones, stuffing hollows with them or burying them between the roots. In addition, she dries the mushrooms by hanging them among the branches. Veksha has a short memory: she forgets about her storehouses and stumbles upon them by accident.

It is interesting! Squirrel "sclerosis" is used by other forest dwellers (bears, rodents and birds), eating up its "canned food". However, the veksha pays them in kind, finding supplies made by mice, chipmunks and nutcrackers under a 1.5 m layer of snow.

Coming out of wintering, the squirrel does not shun the bones of dead animals and visits salt licks. The daily food intake varies depending on the season: in spring, during the breeding season, the squirrel eats up to 80 g, in winter - no more than 35 g.

“Squirrel, squirrel, tell me. What do you think about in silence?
Perhaps you forgot where you buried the nut in the fall? ... "

The fabulously beautiful squirrel from the detachment of red-colored rodents has been known to each of us since childhood. A huge number of poems are dedicated to her, she is the heroine of many folk tales, riddles are made about her and songs are sung.

It is difficult to say when and where this real love human to squirrel. It is only known that all this has been going on for a long time and nothing has changed in our time. These playful and surprisingly fast animals are admired by everyone from young to old in parks, where they boldly jump from branch to branch in search of food and new sensations.

This beautiful animal is difficult to confuse with anyone. The squirrel is small. The length of her body usually reaches from 20 to 40 cm, and her weight is up to 1 kg. Her chic fluffy tail has the length of the body. The ears of the squirrel are small, in the form of brushes. The coat color is dominated by red, but closer to winter, gray and white tones are added.

In summer, the coat is short and coarse, and in winter it becomes soft and fluffy. Closer to the North you can see completely black squirrels. Animals can jump at a distance of 4 to 10 meters. At the same time, their large and fluffy tail serves as a rudder for them, helps to correct movements when jumping.

Features and habitat of squirrels

These wonderful animals live everywhere except. For them, the main thing is that there are groves, dense forests, dense parks. For some reason, squirrels bypass too sunny places. At the expense of housing, this animal is very thoughtful.

They either arrange a house in the hollows of trees, or build a nest on a tree near the trunk, worrying in advance that the dwelling is protected from difficult weather conditions.

Twig twigs, moss, an old bird's nest are building materials for squirrel nests. In order to fasten all this together, clay and earth most often serve them.

Distinctive feature in their nest there are two exits, the main one - the main one and the spare one, as a strategic exit during a possible danger. This fact indicates that what squirrel animal She is friendly but not that trusting.

The nature and lifestyle of squirrels

squirrel animal who are considered very smart. And not only the double exit is proof of this. They prepare for the winter ahead of time, while storing food for themselves. They mostly bury nuts in the ground near their homes or simply hide them in a hollow.

Many scientists are inclined to think that due to the fact that the squirrels' memory is not very good, trees grow out of the many hidden nuts that squirrels sometimes forget about.

They may dig up a newly planted plant in the hope that it will be possible to extract seeds from under the ground. They can move in without hesitation and fear in the attic. They easily make contact with a person if they see food in his hands and can take it endlessly, hiding it in a hollow.

Squirrels that live in city parks have long learned one truth for themselves, that a person is a source of food for them. But hand-feeding them is undesirable. Often they can get sick with plague or other diseases that can harm human health. Even if there is no disease, the squirrel can simply bite very painfully. They skillfully and skillfully crack nuts. It's a pleasure to watch this.

Besides that squirrel useful animal it can cause some harm to a person. Their teeth are very strong and a squirrel can gnaw anything with them. If they live near a human dwelling, this can be a complete disaster.

In order for the squirrels not to harm in the basement or on the mountain and not to spoil the property in those places, it is advisable to put animal skins. Scarecrows don't help. The smell of the animal emanates from the skin and the squirrel is somewhat repellent.

Even with severe frosts do not leave their home. It happens that they gather in one hollow of three or four animals, close the entrance with moss and warm themselves, thus escaping from severe frosts.

Although they have a warm coat, in frosts below 20 degrees they do not leave their nests. They can sleep for days at this time. And only during the thaw they come out of the hollow to collect cones and replenish their food supply.

In the case of lean seasons, squirrels move in whole streams in the direction where there is more food. Squirrel very agile and dexterous. They are prudent and careful, their nest or hollow is difficult to notice.

homemade squirrels in recent times Not unusual. They are bought at pet stores. But often small squirrels are found fallen out of the hollow and left to live at home. Anyone who decides to have this animal should remember that this is an emotional animal and is prone to stress. In such situations, the squirrel can get sick.

For home, you need to build a small aviary or put it in a cage. But from time to time it is necessary to let her run around the apartment without leaving her unattended.

This is a fairly independent animal, which at home does not quickly get used to a person. It should take a long time for the squirrel to give itself at least just to stroke.

Food

Squirrel prefers plant foods in the form of nuts, seeds, mushrooms, berries. But she also likes eggs, frogs and insects. The animal collects a lot of mushrooms, strings them on a branch next to the hollow.

vitality and life is entirely dependent on the availability of food. The more reserves they have and the more calories they have, the better the protein feels and the healthier it is.

Adverse weather make the squirrels eat all their food supplies. This leads to the death of the animal. For squirrels that live in parks, this is a little easier because a person always comes to the rescue.

Reproduction and lifespan of squirrels

March and April for the naughty protein mating season is coming. Dozens of males crowd around one female, trying to win her favor. There are often fights. The female chooses the strongest and from their copulation babies are born, usually there are from two to eight.

They are blind and completely helpless. Initially, for six months, squirrels feed on mother's milk. After the transition to normal feeding, the parents take turns carrying food to them.

After two weeks, the squirrels are covered with wool, and it becomes clear what color is the squirrel, and after a month they already open their eyes. After the babies are two months old, they are ready for independent living and can get their own food.

In captivity, animals also breed, but subject to proper care for them. In nature, squirrels live from two to four years. At home, their life span reaches up to fifteen years.