Squirrels are common residents of many environments, from dense forests to urban parks. These agile rodents, recognized by their bushy tails and quick, darting movements, are constantly active. They are always busy, driven by instincts that shape a daily routine. Their activities reflect survival needs, curiosity, and environmental interactions.
Foraging and Food Caching
Finding and securing food is a primary daily activity for squirrels. Squirrels possess a keen sense of smell, enabling them to detect food items both above and below ground. Their diet is diverse, encompassing nuts, seeds, fruits, fungi, and sometimes even insects or bird eggs. They often forage on the ground, moving their heads side to side while sniffing, or in trees, directly locating food sources.
Once food is acquired, squirrels engage in “scatter hoarding.” This involves burying individual food items, typically nuts and seeds, in shallow pits dug with their forepaws. These caches are then covered with soil and debris. Squirrels can create hundreds, even thousands, of these hidden stashes, particularly in autumn, to prepare for periods of scarcity.
Their ability to retrieve these buried items relies on a combination of spatial memory, using landmarks like trees or rocks as references, and an acute sense of smell for the final location. They may even employ deceptive caching, pretending to bury food to fool potential pilferers.
Socializing and Play
Squirrels exhibit various interactive behaviors. They communicate through a combination of vocalizations and tail movements. Chattering, barking, and chirping sounds, coupled with tail flicks, serve as warnings to other squirrels about potential threats, such as predators or rival squirrels. A rapid tail flick can signal alarm or agitation, while a quivering tail might be part of courtship.
Chasing is a common behavior among squirrels. Younger squirrels often chase each other as a form of play, which helps them develop coordination, strength, and survival skills. Among adults, chasing can establish dominance hierarchies and settle territorial disputes, particularly over food sources or den sites. During mating season, male squirrels vigorously pursue females, with multiple males often involved in these energetic chases that can last for hours.
Shelter and Rest
Squirrels require rest and shelter from predators and the elements. They construct nests called dreys, typically in the forks of tall trees. Dreys are spherical structures built from interwoven twigs, dry leaves, and grass, and lined with softer materials like moss, feathers, or shredded bark for insulation. Squirrels may also utilize natural tree cavities or even abandoned bird nests as dens.
While active during much of the day, squirrels rest, often within their dreys or on tree branches. Resting involves being still and relaxed, not tense or alert. Grooming is a regular activity, essential for hygiene and fur maintenance. Squirrels use their paws and teeth to clean their fur, removing debris and parasites.
Self-grooming is frequent, but squirrels also engage in “allogrooming,” cleaning each other. This shared grooming helps remove parasites and strengthens social bonds.
Seasonal Variations in Activity
A squirrel’s daily schedule shifts with the changing seasons. Autumn sees intense activity, marked by increased foraging and food caching to build reserves for winter. They consume more food to gain body mass, which provides insulation and energy. This heightened caching ensures access to food when resources become scarce.
During winter months, squirrels do not truly hibernate but reduce their activity, spending more time in their insulated dreys. They rely on their stored food and fat reserves to survive. Multiple squirrels may share a drey in winter to conserve heat.
As spring arrives, activity increases with the focus shifting towards mating and raising young. Squirrels typically have two breeding seasons per year; the first occurs between January and February, and the second from May to June. Females give birth in their dreys after a gestation period of 38 to 46 days. The summer months are then dedicated to raising their young, who remain in the drey for several weeks before venturing out.