Fun Squirrel Facts

·       Squirrels always come down trees headfirst.  They climb up headfirst too!

·       The word squirrel comes from the Greek words "skia", which means shade and "oura" which means tail.  Yep, you guessed it.  Squirrels like to sit in the shade of their tail on hot days.  They also use their tail for balance, as a blanket to keep warm on cold days, and as an umbrella in the rain, just like Pippi.

·       Squirrels can see in very dim light.  That's why, even though the attic was dark, there was just enough light coming in from the pipe that Pippi could see just fine for the days and weeks that she was inside.

·       Squirrels have very strong teeth that continue to grow throughout their entire life.  But they don't want to let them get too long, so they gnaw them down by chewing on those tasty nuts and acorns.  Just ask Lana how yummy they are!

·       Mother squirrels will often have babies in the spring and again in the later summer.  Three to five babies at once is common, but it is possible for squirrels to have as many as seven.  Mama had three babies in the spring (Max, Lana and Pippi), and then she had seven babies all at once in the summer.  That's one busy Mama!

·       It is illegal in most states to kill squirrels by poisoning them.  If you have a squirrel in your attic, catching it in a trap and releasing it in the wild (like Fred did to Uncle Louie) is the best thing to do.  Fred made sure he took Uncle Louie more than 3 miles away.  Any closer and Uncle Louie could have found his way home!  Max would have loved that.  He misses Uncle Louie so much.

·       Squirrels have four toes on their front paws and five toes on their back paws, so they have eighteen toes all together. Well, most squirrels do.  Sometimes bad things happen that hurt a lot.  Right, Max?

·       Squirrels are wild animals.  They can bite.  What Natalie did was dangerous.  Don't try it!

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