What? Interesting animal, the dream of a naturalist… As would say our young contemporaries “minimiser rolls.”
I agree, and add that new type of entertaining is feeding the squirrels in the season of preparations for the winter is quite fascinating. I would say, is a children’s delight. Indeed, when protein becomes the path on its hind legs with the clear intention to take away the nuts (if you have), and it looks like it requires a “hug”, or drops on your belly over the pants and demands to see what you have in the palm of your hand or fit in your pocket with the inspection (fucking customs), it is difficult to remain indifferent.
However, not all so immediately they trust, and sometimes their indulgence to be earned. Some representatives of the squirrel tribe is fearful and the man didn’t trust keeping and food from the hands do not take uneasy.
Of course, at the trough to remove protein uninteresting, but to persuade a squirrel to pose somewhere in the Park, which is very similar to the wild forest – I liked it.
And now the facts…
Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) (also called the home with the accent on the last syllable) is the only representative of the kind of Protein in our fauna, although the family Squirrel – very diverse, and it includes our local chipmunks, flying squirrels, marmots and ground squirrels. Probably someone will surprise the fact that the earthen marmot – belongs to the Family of Squirrel.
Our squirrel – a species highly variable even within one population : there are animals with different color skins and tails, with different sizes of brushes on the ears, making a considerable variety in their appearance.
Common protein from Anlantic to the Pacific ocean and beyond, to Kamchatka, and North to the borders of the high forest. The distribution occurred actively during the 20th century, in which was subdued the Caucasus and the Crimea.
Conducts a day way of life. It nests in hollows of deciduous trees or making “gayna” in conifers, often capturing nests of corvids. Most often such shelters her somewhat, and she often changes. Obviously this is due to the fact that a long stay in one greste leads to concentration of parasites in it. The nest in which the female breeds (usually 1-2 3-9 litter for squirrels)- more sizes and they are usually also more than one.
Typically, these animals – sedentary and have even a semblance plots with blurred boundaries.
However, sometimes they have to roam over large distances, and due to how hungry and various disasters, like fires or drought. In such periods is very high sernosti, because they are weakened, often drowning in the rivers, and serve as food for predators, which in these times is completely switched to this form of production. For the same reasons their population is exposed to major fluctuations from year to year. In the 60’s, my father was a witness to this migration, when a large number of squirrels entered Nizhny Tagil, there were for many on the streets, in doorways, they were jumping on the balconies of apartment buildings. After whites are gone, they left a lot of corpses : some drowned in the waters of the city, many people suffered from electricity, they caught the dogs, cats, crows peck was weakened.
Also they are characterized by seasonal travel followed the ripening food.
Everyone knows how whites adapted to climbing trees. I will only add that they easily make the jump distances of over 4 metres, and if on a downward trajectory, and more than 10.
Eating a day usually 50-70 grams, they make stocks for the winter, hiding nuts, acorns, and other excess in the ground or in tree hollows. These “stores” they do a lot of those who are forgotten and not germinate. Thus, proteins are involved in the reforestation activities.
Now – the same time, and you can easily observe this process. They have a keen sense of smell, and even in winter they find their own and others reserves under a layer of snow.
However, more than half of the fingerlings do not survive the first winter. In addition to parasites and diseases to the high mortality of squirrels “do” owls, goshawks, all mustelids, felids, including bobcats. Thus, proteins appear important link in the food chain of the forest, especially in favourable years, in which the number could increase tenfold compared to the lean years.
Also the “area of risk” affecting the number of proteins, it is possible indirectly to recognize the human activities. For example, in Britain the red squirrel has been almost eliminated imported from America invasive species – gray squirrel, which is not only larger, but also hurts certain infections, a carrier which is itself, but which are subject to our red squirrel. In short, this is another reminder that the balance of nature is fragile and man is his influence on him to limit.
