January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day, a day to recognize the role squirrels play in nature. Florida has three native squirrels, the Eastern gray squirrel, the fox squirrel, and the southern flying squirrel. The Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, is one of the most commonly seen animals in woodlands and urban environments. Usually viewed as a nuisance, they are actually beneficial to the ecosystem. Besides being entertaining, they have a number of adaptations that help them survive.
The Eastern gray squirrel is a tree dwelling rodent that spends most of its time in the canopy to avoid predators. Its fur is typically shades of gray, brown and red above with light gray to white below. Males and females look alike with large eyes to watch for predators, bushy tail used for balance, feet adapted to climbing, and sharp claws that facilitate aerial acrobats. They can leap across a space ten times the length of their body! Their specially adapted legs allow their feet to turn backwards, enabling them to climb headfirst down a tree. Their front four incisors, used to crack open nuts, grow at a rate of 6 inches a year.
Southern live oaks (Quercus virginiana) are one of their favorite trees. Nests are usually located at the forks of tree branches or in tree hole cavities and are made of dried leaves and twigs. They communicate with others by making sounds and body movements like tail flicking. When predators are nearby, they have a distinct stress call to alert others. When threatened by raptors, they run away in a zigzag pattern to escape being caught. They are important prey animals for hawks, owls, bobcats, foxes, snakes, and more.
The diet of an Eastern gray squirrel consists of seeds, acorns, berries, flowers, mushrooms, and caterpillars, eating two pounds of food per week. They are serious hoarders, hiding away nuts, seeds, bark and berries in hundreds of caches and can then recall the location of the caches. Thanks to this behavior of safeguarding their food, Eastern gray squirrels play a vital role in dispersing trees and assisting with reforestation. They also help to maintain the symbiotic relationship between plants and mushrooms. After mushroom spores are eaten then excreted from the squirrels, the disseminated fungi help plant matter decompose and in turn give plants the nutrients needed for growth.
Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day by head out to the wooded areas of Gamble Rogers or North Peninsula State Park and do a bit of squirrel watching. You might be surprised by what you see.
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