16 Nutty Facts About Squirrels

People either love squirrels or hate squirrels. These adorable little critters always make an appearance in gardens, especially if bird feeders are present. They are highly intelligent, but also goofy at the same time. Their antics make one giggle. According to MSN.com writer Shaunacy Ferro, here are 16 nutty facts about our furry friends of the forest in honor of National Squirrel Appreciation Day, which is on January 21 of every year

1. Squirrels are amazing jumpers

-These little critters can really jump. According to a study done by researchers at the National University of Singapore, plantain squirrels can jump more than 8 feet from a tree stump to a feeding area. Flying squirrels can travel farther, because of the flap of skin between their hands and feet, acting as a sort of sail, allowing them to glide

2. Squirrels are organized

-A study done in 2017 found that squirrels are more organized than most humans. They store nuts based on type. They were given a mix of nuts consisting of walnuts, pecans, almonds and hazelnuts and the squirrels used in the study took time to place each nut type in its own spot. It may have even been discovered that they separate nuts based on size

3. Squirrels can be forgetful, and it's their forgetfulness that helps grow new trees

-Tree squirrels are extremely important for the growth of new trees. While they take care to plant nuts in specific spots, they will tend to forget where they buried them from time to time. This forgetfulness has an important result-new trees. The acorns they bury result in new oak trees growing and more acorns for squirrels

4. Squirrels help truffles grow

-Truffles are a type of mushroom that grows underground. Unlike other mushrooms who spread spores through the air, truffles spread their spores through animals picking up the spores and carrying them and eventually depositing the spores elsewhere. Most squirrels eat truffles and when they relieve themselves, the spores come out on to the forest floor and start growing

5. Squirrels are one of the few mammals that can come down a tree head first

-Squirrel's ankles can rotate 180 degrees, allowing them the fantastic feat of going down a tree head first. They can rotate their paws to go up the tree just as fast

6. Several towns are battling it out for "Home of the White Squirrel"

-White squirrels are pretty rare, as are black squirrels. Squirrels tend to be a popular mascot for a lot of towns. There are various cities fighting to be known as the "Home of the White Squirrel." Those cities include Brevard, North Carolina, Kenton, Tennessee, Marionville, Missouri, Exeter, Ontario, Canada. Olney, Illinois is the city with the highest population of white squirrels. Local law states it's at least a $750 fine from the local police for killing one of these furry critters. They even have the legal right of way on roads. Even the city keeps a census on the creature. As of 1997, local government decided that cats were a threat to these majestic creatures and urged local residents to keep their cats from running loose. 2002 saw a 100 year White Squirrel Celebration. This involved a monument being created and even a "squirrel blessing" by a local priest. The police wore special squirrel-themed patches for the event

7. Squirrels could aid in research for strokes

-It might sound like something out of a fantasy, but it's becoming a reality. Since ground squirrels hibernate in the winter, and their brain functions during that time, scientists have been using this as a research to form new drugs to reduce the brain damage caused by strokes. When ground squirrels hibernate, they can lower their body temperature to as low as 26.7 degrees Fahrenheit. During this period, squirrels' brains undergo cellular changes to help adjust with reduced blood flow. Scientists are researching drugs that could mimic that process, only in the human brain, preventing cells from death when blood flow to the brain is reduced during strokes

8. Squirrel fur might have been how leprosy was spread in the Middle Ages

-In the 9th century, it was thought squirrels spread leprosy. Scientists believe that Vikings, who often had squirrel furs, helped unintentionally introduce the disease into other parts of Europe

9. Squirrels can do more damage than hackers

-There is a website called Cyber Squirrel 1 that documents every record of a squirrel or other animals causing mayhem to power services. This site goes back as far as 1987. There have been more than 1100 squirrel-related power outages across the world. In a 2016 survey concerning public power utilities, wildlife was the top cause for power outages. With most power companies, squirrels are the number one suspect

10. Squirrels heat up their tails to fend off predators

-California ground squirrels have an interesting way of fending off would-be attackers. Like cats, squirrels can puff up in defense mode. Squirrels will wave its tail at a would-be attacker to show its strength. When these attackers can sense the heat coming off of them, they back off

11. Squirrels are the best way of determining if a forest is healthy

-Scientists look at the local squirrel population to determine if a forest is healthy. Forests depend on seeds, spores and more to grow and support a good ecosystem. High populations of squirrels tell scientists that a forest is doing excellent, and providing more than enough food for not just squirrels, but other animals as well. Dwindling squirrel populations tell scientists that there is something wrong, whether it be logging, fires or other forest-changing events

12. Squirrels are liars

-Gray squirrels can deceive both humans and other squirrels. When burying their food, they will keep an eye on the area, and "pretend" to bury something and then pat the dirt down. This fools other squirrels into thinking there is food there, when there is really nothing. The squirrel will actually have the food in its mouth to bury in another spot. It's called tactical deception

13. Squirrels were once America's most popular choice of pet

-Most states require a permit to keep squirrels as pets, since they are wild animals. Once upon a time, it was commonplace to have a squirrel as a pet. Warren G. Harding, one of the Presidents of the United States, kept a squirrel named Pete. He would bring Pete to White House meetings, where members of the cabinet would bring nuts. Pet squirrel ownership has dwindled due to exotic animal laws

14. Just one squirrel can attract more squirrels

-In the 1800s, American cities rarely saw wildlife. In the summer of 1856, a gray squirrel escaped from its cage inside a New York apartment and earned a write up in The New York Times. The paper's article stated several hundred people gathered to stare at the tree where the squirrel was located and they tried to entice it down. It took a police officer to disperse the crowd. Unfortunately, the fate of the squirrel was not mentioned

15. Squirrels were used to teach compassion in the 19th century

-The mid-1800s seen squirrels being introduced into city parks. It was a chance for city dwellers to witness wild life at its most unique. It also taught young boys a lesson. Observing / feeding wild squirrels was seen as a way of turning boys away from cruelty. Ernest Thompson Seton, founder of the Boy Scouts, said in a 1914 article that cities should have "missionary squirrels" for boys to learn how to befriend them. He thought this was a great way to have boys learn compassion and sympathy. Feeding squirrels was also considered an act of charity. It was thought that, even if you couldn't provide charity for a human being, providing charity for the squirrels was a good way to give back

16. Squirrels hate tax season too

-Not present in big cities, most of the US was once overrun with squirrels. In Ohio, the main breed of squirrel is Eastern Gray Squirrel. Once there was such a large population of squirrels that they caused farmers to want to hunt them to reduce the numbers. 1807 seen the Ohio General Assembly adding squirrel bodies on top of their taxes. Taxpayers had to submit a minimum of 10 squirrel pelts to the town clerk a year.