Nutty Facts
A squirrel nest or den is known as a drey. Usually at least six metres from the ground, they build close to the trunk or in forks of branches where the tree is stronger and provides more support.If they can find an existing hole in a tree trunk, perhaps created by a woodpecker, they might claim it as their den. They use similar materials to line it and might gnaw the entrance to widen it too.
Squirrels have four front teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives, at a rate of about six inches (15 cm) per year. This helps their incisors endure the seemingly incessant gnawing, otherwise they'd quickly run out of teeth.
Eastern grays are the most common U.S. tree squirrels, but in addition to helping them reclaim lost habitats, people have also introduced them to places outside their native range, from western North America to Europe and South Africa. Eastern grays are now invasive pests in the U.K...
'Merica.
Hibernating ground squirrels have a trait that could help protect stroke patients from brain damage, according to research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). When squirrels hibernate, their brains experience significantly reduced blood flow, similar to what humans experience after a certain type of stroke. But squirrels wake up after hibernation with no serious effects. Scientists believe a potential drug inspired by these squirrels' adaptation "could grant the same resilience to the brains of ischemic stroke patients by mimicking the cellular changes that protect the brains of those animals," the NIH said in a news release.
Squirrels have been observed engaging in “deceptive caching.” This is where a squirrel digs a hole and vigorously covers it up again, but without depositing the nut. This is done to throw off potential food thieves. Clever little buggers.