Squirrel Facts


Most of us have encountered squirrels at some point in our life and we typically have some very opposing views about them. For some, squirrels are nothing more than cute, furry little animals that bring a smile to our face, whereas for others they are known to be extreme pests, vermin, and can typically cause chaos in the cellars and attics of homes, and indeed in the garden. Love them or loathe them, why not sit back, read and enjoy the following facts about squirrels.

Squirrel Facts: There are over 200 different species of squirrels and they can be found in literally every country and region of the world except for Antarctica. They are most commonly found in areas containingtrees and wooded regions. They are part of the Sciuridae family and are of course rodents.
  1. Squirrels come in a wide variety of sizes and can be as small as the African pigmy squirrel, which is no longer than 10cm and weighs no more than 10 grams. However, the Indian giant squirrel is over a metre long and can weigh up to 2kg.
  2. A squirrel’s diet mainly consists of nuts, seeds, fruits and fungi, although there are certain varieties of squirrel which feed on insects and even snakes.
  3. Squirrels are able to jump extremely high distances, compared to their small size, and this is due to the fact that their feet are padded. A squirrel has the ability to jump as high as 20 feet into the air.
  4. You may have noticed that squirrels eyes are placed very high on their heads and to either side. This provides them with an extremely wide range of vision and means that they typically will not have to turn their heads in order to see something.
  5. Squirrels use a vast array of sounds to communicate with each other and even make particular sounds for certain events. A prime example of this is the ground squirrel will produce a high pitched whistling sound in order to warn other squirrels that a predator is nearby.
  6. Certain squirrels have been given names, but in reality they don’t make a lot of sense. One such variety of squirrel is the gray squirrel, which does typically come in many different shades of gray, but some of them even come in shades of black or brown, but they still happen to be part of the gray squirrel family.
  7. No doubt you’ve seen squirrels speeding about, so it won’t surprise you to know that they can reach a top speed of 20 miles per hour. However, rather than run, their anatomy, and especially the muscles in between their legs and body actually allows them to glide. They have the ability to “glide” from up high to down below by a distance of up to 48 metres.
This all sounds well and good, but many people have terrible problems with squirrels. They can often enter a property through small gaps in the roof, and much like rats they can gnaw their way through electrical cables. However, rather than trying to deal with this yourself, you will be probably be far better off hiring a company that provides squirrel removal. This post is written by Mark Ross, an employee at ICE, specialists in squirrel removal in Brampton. Being a nature lover, Mark likes to cycle around parks in his spare time.