Squirrels

Acorns cover the forest floor.

Why Do Trees Drop So Many Seeds One Year, and Then Hardly Any the Next?

A new paper suggests that plants may use slow seed years to prevent the spread of disease

Previous research had found leprosy in modern red squirrels, and genetic analysis suggested the strain was closely related to leprosy found in medieval humans.

Medieval Squirrels and Humans May Have Spread Leprosy Back and Forth

Archaeologists uncovered evidence of leprosy in a medieval red squirrel in England, and DNA evidence revealed the strain was similar to what was circulating in humans at the time

Like humans, animals are trying to stay cool amid heat waves.

Why Are Squirrels 'Splooting' on Hot Days?

This adorable behavior helps the rodents cool down, especially as extreme heat sweeps the planet

After eight months of hibernation, Arctic ground squirrels emerge in the spring hungry and ready to mate.

Climate Change Is a Wake-Up Call for Hibernating Squirrels

As spring arrives sooner, female Arctic ground squirrels are emerging from their burrows earlier, according to a new study

Though this particular Arctic ground squirrel died during the Ice Age, these rodents still live in the Yukon Territory and Alaska today.

This Mummified Ice Age Squirrel Was Found Frozen in Canada

Scientists identified the curled-up creature as an Arctic ground squirrel that likely died while hibernating some 30,000 years ago

A CT scan of the spiral intestine of a Pacific spiny dogfish shark (Squalus suckleyi). The organ begins on the left and ends on the right.

Ten Scientific Discoveries From 2021 That May Lead to New Inventions

From nanobots to cancer treatments, nature inspires a wide variety of innovations

A fox squirrel perched on part of an experiment designed to test its agility and decision-making. Researchers used peanuts to entice the rodents to participate.

Squirrels Use Parkour Moves and Savvy to Stick Tricky Landings

A new study finds these acrobatic rodents quickly weigh variables like bendy branches to figure out how to safely clear big distances high in the treetops

Arctic ground squirrels are such adept hibernators that they can remain in their slumber for up to eight months by slowing their metabolic system down so greatly that they only need to breathe once per minute.

What Hibernating Squirrels Can Teach Astronauts About Preventing Muscle Loss

The Arctic ground squirrel recycles nutrients in its body, allowing it to slumber for up to eight months and wake up unscathed

It may seem a little absurd, but wildlife getting drunk off of fermenting fruits isn't a rare occurrence. Bats, moose and birds are known to consume copious amounts of fermented fruits.

Watch This Backyard Squirrel Get a Little Tipsy on Fermented Pears

A Minnesota resident captured a video of the bushy-tailed rodent's drunken smorgasbord

Biswamoyopterus gaoligongensis

New Species of Giant Flying Squirrel Discovered in China

Weighing 3 to 4 pounds, the Mount Gaoligong flying squirrel was recently found in Yunnan province

Volunteers Counted All the Squirrels in Central Park

Three hundred people tallied up the number of bushy-tailed residents over the course of 11 days last October

The squirrels measure up to 36 inches from head to tail

Yes, Giant Technicolor Squirrels Actually Roam the Forests of Southern India

The colorful creatures can measure up to three feet long from head to tail and weigh in at around four pounds

The team analyzed 135 squirrel specimens under visible and ultraviolet light

Flying Squirrels Glow Fluorescent Pink Under Ultraviolet Light

The bubblegum pink coloring could help New World flying squirrels navigate, communicate or blend into their environments

Five Baby Squirrels Saved From Truly Knotty Predicament

Five gray tree squirrels in Wisconsin were found with their tails hopelessly knotted together, requiring some help from a wildlife rehab

Fear not: Though it was recently found that red squirrels can harbor the leprosy bacteria, there hasn't been a single confirmed case of the disease in the UK in 200 years.

Are Viking Squirrels to Blame for Infecting England with Leprosy?

It's possible, say researchers who found that medieval strains of the disease may have come to Great Britain in the rodents' fur and meat

Adorable Ground Squirrels Playing in Sweltering Heat

Ground squirrels in the Kalahari have devised a remarkable method to guarantee portable shade: they use their tails as umbrellas

Prince Charles Will Battle Squirrels Using Contraceptives and a Lot of Nutella

North American gray squirrels are decimating native red squirrels in the British Isles, leading to a new plan to reduce the population of invasive mammals

Leprosy Threatens U.K. Red Squirrel Populations

Researchers have launched a new study to try to save the furry rodents

Mysterious “Vampire Squirrel” Finally Caught on Camera

The newly discovered squirrel has the fluffiest tail of any animal, may also disembowel deer

Variegated squirrels, like the one pictured above in Costa Rica, may carry a virus that causes encephalitis in humans.

A Squirrel Virus May Have Killed Three Squirrel Breeders in Germany

A mysterious set of deaths seem to be linked to the rodents

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