10 Unique Squirrel Facts You Didn't Know before

Squirrels can be found in parks all across America, and they are cute, little creatures often seen day to day in suburban life. 

These creatures have a lot more than meets the eye though - for that reason we will now be sharing 10 unique squirrel facts which you may have not heard before! 

The video version of this post includes cute fuzzy squirrel footage, which you can watch by clicking HERE right now. 

The audio-only pest-free podcast can also be downloaded for listening anytime by clicking the download button above. 

Without further ado, here are 10 fun facts about squirrels you may have not heard before: 

1: Why They Chew So Much 

Squirrels can often be found chewing like an obsession! There’s actually an important reason for that though: their front teeth never stop growing! 

This can create problems for us humans because they may chew on things outside of your home leading to damage. 

2: Helping the Environment

Squirrels can be found burying nuts and seeds to eat later. However, they can’t remember the location of every single nut and seed! 

These forgotten nuts can sometimes turn into new trees and plants, helping the ecosystem and forests to grow. 

3: Smelling Ability 

Squirrels are excellent at smelling food. Some squirrels can smell nuts buried beneath 1 foot of snow, which is typically deeper than they are long. 

4: Thieves

Up to 25% of their buried food is stolen by thieves. Fellow squirrels or birds can sometimes be observed watching squirrels bury their food. They aren’t just watching for the pleasure of it- these creatures are looking for an easy snack and stealing food hidden by a squirrel is one way to do it! 

5: Playing Defense

Squirrels combat thieves by pretending to bury nuts if they feel like they are being watched. They will dig a hole and cover it later, but not actually put any nuts inside of it. This throws off potential thieves and makes their job harder. 

6: Name Origins

In Greek, the word “squirrel” actually means “shadow tail.” 

7: Mating

A male squirrel can smell a female squirrel in heat from up to a mile away! Their mating period is typically between February to May. 

After mating, the female squirrel may attempt to infest your home in an effort to secure shelter for her young. 

8: Location

There are 285 species of squirrels currently known and they can be found naturally everywhere in the world besides Antarctica and Australia. 

9: Falling Distance

Squirrels can fall from 30 meters or 98 feet high without hurting themselves. 

10. Jumping

When jumping (or falling), they can use their tail as a sort of parachute and also for balancing, similar to how cats can use their tails for similar actions. 

Bonus Fact: Squirrel Spies

Did you know that in 2007 Iran claimed that 14 squirrels near the nation’s borders were actually spies? 

This isn’t the only incident in which Iran claimed random animals were actually spies either! 

Stay tuned for next week’s content where we explore those whacky claims in depth. 

Wildlife or Pests? 

We hope you enjoyed this post. If you think you have a wildlife or pest-related problem, please contact us at 855-WILDLIFE or by visiting www.wildlifexteam.com. 

Thanks, 
-Wildlife x Team International