Every time someone walks past a squirrel it usually runs away. Squirrels seem like they are afraid of other animals but they actually have a lot of interactions with a bunch of animals. The squirrels in Rand Park can interact with the birds, chipmunks, plants and people. Squirrels are such a common aspect in our daily lives that we often overlook them and their day-to-day lives. Often times people see them as a nuisance that goes through their trash despite their bushy tails and cute faces. They are the most frequently seen wild mammals.
Squirrels are members of the rodent family along with rats, mice, and chipmunks that also inhabit Rand Park. The most common type of squirrel found in New Jersey is the Eastern Grey Squirrel (scientific name: Sciurus carolinensis). Squirrels have two incisor teeth in both sides of their jaw that is especially adapted to gnawing nuts, wood, and other materials. They are active by day and sleep at night and are very common in Rand Park, and even in your backyard!
When two different species of squirrels inhabit Rand Park there is competition for food. This is called interspecific competition. There is also competition among the same species of squirrels which leads to the formation of a social hierarchy among the squirrels. At the top of the social pyramid are the older male squirrels. The older squirrels have dominance over the younger ones and the male squirrels have dominance over the female squirrels. When one squirrel is trying to show dominance over another it will fold their tail over their backs so it appears bigger and intimidating to other squirrels. The lower ranked squirrels try not to come in physical contact with the dominating ones, and will usually will result in one retreating before there is any physical fight. Squirrels are known to alert other squirrels when their is danger near. They use their tail as a signaling device and twitch it to let the others know they might be in danger. They are also very vocal animals and with communicate with each other through different vocalisations and scent marking. They will try to escape a predator by running in an erratic path in an attempt to deceive the it and escape.
Caught a squirrel fighting for what looked like a cookie
Squirrels bury their acorns and other seeds in the fall and retrieve them in the winter when food is less abundant. They are intelligent animals when it comes to protecting their food. Squirrels have been observed to make fake burial displays to deceive other animals so they don’t steal their nuts. Animals such as birds and chipmunks will think it stored it in the fake burial sight, giving the squirrel time to hide it for real. The squirrel’s burying of food is called caching and allows the squirrel to survive through the harsh winters. Some nuts that the squirrel buries are not found because it may sprout and grow into trees. Fun Fact: Squirrels have planted most of the hickory trees in the US!
A female squirrel carries her young for a gestation period of about 40-60 days. Mothers can give birth to up to eight kittens (what a baby squirrel is called) at a time. A female squirrel can give birth 2-4 times a year. Squirrels are blind at birth and depend on their mother for their first three months. During their first few months, they are weaned by their mothers. When kittens do leave the nest to find food on their own, they don’t go farther than 2 miles.
Squirrel tail from our crazy bio teacher!
By Meredith & Makai
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