Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide PDF
Preview Squirrels: The Animal Answer Guide
The Animal Answer Guide Squirrels: This page intentionally left blank Squirrels The Animal Answer Guide Richard W. Thorington Jr. and Katie Ferrell The Johns Hopkins University Press Baltimore © 2006 The Johns Hopkins University Press All rights reserved. Published 2006 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The Johns Hopkins University Press 2715 North Charles Street Baltimore, Maryland 21218-4363 www.press.jhu.edu Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Thorington, Richard W. Squirrels : the animal answer guide / Richard W. Thorington, Jr., and Katie E. Ferrell. p. cm Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8018-8402-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-8018-8403-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Squirrels. I. Ferrell, Katherine E., 1974– II. Title. QL737.R68T48 2006 599.36—dc22 2005032061 A squirrel leaping from bough to bough, and making the wood but one wide tree for his pleasure, fi lls the eye not less than a lion,—is beautiful, self-suffi cing, and stands then and there for nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson This page intentionally left blank Contents Acknowledgments xi Introduction xiii 1 Introducing Squirrels 1 What are squirrels? 1 How many kinds of squirrels are there? 7 Where do squirrels live? 8 Why are there no fl ying or ground squirrels in South America? 10 How are squirrels classifi ed? 10 What is the current classifi cation of squirrels? 13 What characterizes the major groups of squirrels? 15 When did squirrels evolve? 23 What is the oldest fossil squirrel? 23 2 Form and Function 25 What are the largest and smallest squirrels? 25 How fast does a squirrel’s heart beat? 25 Can squirrels see color? 26 Do all squirrels have cheek pouches? 27 Can squirrels swim? 28 How far can squirrels jump? 29 Do squirrels fl y? 31 What are the largest and smallest fl ying squirrels? 31 How do you make a fl ying squirrel? 32 How far can fl ying squirrels glide? 35 How can you determine whether a fossil squirrel was a tree squirrel, a fl ying squirrel, or a ground squirrel? 37 3 Coat Color and Squirrel Genetics 38 What species are the black squirrels I see? 38 What species is the red squirrel? 40 What causes the different coat colors of squirrels? 41 How are hair colors determined genetically? 41 What about patterns of coat color? 43 Are there age-related differences in coat color? 45 Are there seasonal differences in coat color? 45 Is there much geographic variation in squirrel species? 46 4 Squirrel Behavior 48 Are squirrels social? 48 Do squirrels fi ght? 52 How smart are squirrels? 52 Do squirrels play? 55 Do squirrels talk? 56 How do squirrels avoid predators? 58 5 Squirrel Ecology 69 Where do squirrels sleep? 69 Do squirrels migrate? 71 How many squirrel species coexist in a forest? 72 Why are there so many more species of squirrels in African and Asian forests? 74 How do squirrels survive in the desert? 76 How do squirrels survive the winter? 79 What is hibernation? 82 Do squirrels have enemies? 83 Why do squirrels commit infanticide? 84 Do squirrels get sick? 86 How do squirrels infl uence vegetation? 88 6 Reproduction and Development 92 How do squirrels reproduce? 92 How long are female squirrels pregnant? 95 Where do mother squirrels give birth? 95 How many babies do squirrels have? 96 Are all littermates equally related? 97 How long do female squirrels nurse their young? 98 How fast do squirrels grow? 98 How long do squirrels live? 100 7 Foods and Feeding 102 What do squirrels eat? 102 How do squirrels open hard nuts? 106 Do all squirrels bury their food? 107 How does the squirrel decide what food to store? 110 How do squirrels fi nd the food they have buried? 112 viii Contents 8 Squirrels and Humans 114 Do squirrels make good pets? 114 Should people feed squirrels? 114 Do squirrels feel pain? 115 What do I do if I fi nd an injured or orphaned squirrel? 115 How can I become a better observer of squirrels? 116 How do I know whether I have fl ying squirrels in my backyard? 118 Why are squirrels important? 119 9 Squirrel Problems (from a human viewpoint) 124 Are squirrels pests? 124 How do I keep squirrels away from my . . . ? 126 Are squirrels vectors of human disease? 130 10 Human Problems (from a squirrel’s viewpoint) 131 Are squirrels endangered? 131 Will squirrels be affected by global warming? 134 Are squirrels ever invasive species? 137 Do people hunt and eat squirrels? 138 Are squirrel-hair brushes actually made of squirrel hair? 139 Why do so many squirrels get hit by cars? 140 11 Squirrels in Stories and Literature 141 What roles do squirrels play in religion and mythology? 141 What do squirrels have to do with the Cinderella story? 143 What roles do squirrels play in popular culture? 144 How are squirrels incorporated into poetry? 144 How are squirrels incorporated into literature? 148 12 “Squirrelology” 152 Which species are best known? 152 Which species are least known? 154 How do scientists recognize individual squirrels? 156 Appendix: Squirrels of the World 157 Bibliography 165 Index 179 Contents ix
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