Let's Hear It For Squirrels

Why do I love squirrels so much? I can't explain it. I have plenty of evidence that they don't love me -- I even have a well-developed theory that the two biggest jerks of the backyard animal family are squirrels and bluejays. But every time I see a squirrel, I'm fascinated: I want to know what the little guy is up to. What's going on in that squirrel brain? Probably some scheme related to nuts.

My apartment has flower boxes in the second-floor windows. Every time I plant something in the boxes, I find little squirrel-caches of nuts -- the oddest being peanuts in the shell, buried an inch or two deep. Where are they getting peanuts? And what do they have to gain by digging up my tulips and flinging them at my window? Clearly there's some master plan here that the squirrels have not shared with me.

I could have gone all "trivia" and actually learned something about squirrels, but for today let's take a look at some great squirrel videos. Here's a favorite short film, "Squirrel Eating Walnut." (I won't ruin the plot for you, just watch.)

Many more after the jump!

Okay, that's fun, but nowhere near as awesome as the similarly named "Squirrel Eats a Walnut," which features a rather amazing ending. Seriously.

"Squirrel Obstacle Course" is another fun one, and includes bonus footage of a vending machine heist:

"Will 'Cute' For Food" (now I know where those peanuts are coming from):

And the last one for today, a squirrel in Madison Square Park figures out how to drink from a water sprinkler:

If you actually want to learn something about squirrels rather than watching cute videos, check the mental_floss fact library, read up on Wikipedia or try the Squirrel Facts page from Squirrel Place.