Squirrels

_{Originally written in 2008, reposted in July 2023. May contain outdated info.}

This is an essay I wrote in high school that I found yesterday. I'm reposting (with corrected typos and proper formatting, and minus images because I can't source them) because I'm desperate for filler content and it might be interesting to show how I've never changed.

Have you ever seen a squirrel? A squirrel is a small or medium sized rodent from the family Sciurid. Sciurid means "shade tail." The smallest squirrel is known as the African Pygmy squirrel, for example, is seven-to-ten centimeters tall and weighs around ten grams. Squirrels don't have a group name because they are solitary animals.

Squirrels usually have slender bodies, bushy tails, and huge eyes. A squirrel's eyes are on the side of its head, and they can see in dichromatic vision. They can see in color, but are colorblind to red-green colors. Squirrels can see a wide field of vision without turning their head. The whitish fur around the eyes protects them too intense sunlight.

There are 365 species of squirrels. The most common squirrels are the red and grey squirrels. Sometimes red squirrels are actually black. The biggest squirrel is the marmot, sometimes called a groundhog. Marmots usually weigh between four-to-eight kilograms and are fourty two-to-fifty four centimeters. In the squirrel family there are also prarie dogs, chipmunks, ground squirrels, flying squirrels, and tree squirrels.

Common squirrels don't hibernate, they just stay in their nests more often in the winter. Baby squirrels are born in the spring, when they are born they have no fur and can't see. A litter of squirrels usually consists of four. Only the mother squirrel raises them, the father doesn't help. Sometimes if a baby squirrel is abandoned, another animal like a dog or cat will raise them if they already have had puppies or kittens. If a person finds a baby squirrel, they should give it to a wildlife rehabilitator.

Squirrels sometimes eat out of bird feeders, digging in potted plants, or sometimes living in attics and basements. They are considered pests sometimes and for chewing on edible and not edible objects (like rats). Common squirrels are usually fed peanuts by people, but it's suggested they are give roasted or unsalted peanuts instead.

Common squirrels are usually preyed on by cats, such as lynxes, and other animals like weasels, foxes, hawks, eagles, bears, dogs, and coyotes. Squirrels are even preyed on by people for food. Squirrels can be used instead of chicken or rabbit in some recipes, even though squirrels are said to be more tender than chicken. The American Heart Association has found out that squirrels are high in cholesterol.

Squirrels can be trained to be hand-fed, and they will take as much food as possible. They usually eat nuts, seeds, grain and fruit, but will also eat anything else like pizza or lunch meat if given to them. Rarely they will eat bird eggs, but only as a last resort. Hand-feeding squirrels is not a good idea because they can carry diseases. People can get bit hard because squirrels cannot see in front of their mouth because their eyes are on the sides of its head.

In some states red, grey, and flying squirrels can be sold as exotic pets. It is mostly illegal, and to get one you have to have a permit. The only exception is for wildlife rehabilitators that have sanctuaries for keeping hurt wild animals safe. Keeping squirrels as pets isn't a good idea because squirrels aren't domesticated. Some squirrels can be tamed, but it's not the same as domesticating. Squirrels have been wild for a long time and can't be taken from the wild.

Two of the most famous squirrels are the albino squirrels at the University of North Texas. At the school there's even an ASPS, which stands for the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society. It is said at the school that if a student sees the albino squirrel before they take a test, they will end up passing it. Unfortunately the squirrel was killed by a red-tail hawk in August 2006. A new baby albino squirrel appeared on the campus in May 2007. At one point near the end of 2007, the UNT sold calendars and buttons with the albino squirrels in it. The squirrel's names are Thelonius and Baby, and photos of both of them appear in the calendar.