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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.
I couldn’t disagree more. These little punks chewed thousands of dollars of electrical problems into my truck and my friend’s car. I have no love for the squirrel. If it wasn’t for that bushy tail we’d have hunted them to extinction by now.
posted by Scott on 11-5-2007 at 11:06 am
My family is fascinated by squirrels too and have a feeder in the front and backyard. It is a large glass pickle jar that screws into a wooden frame which is nailed to the tree. It’s great to watch them go in and out and also chase each other over ownership. Consequently every time we go in or out of the house they “bark” at us in protest and also our neighbors think we’re nuts! (no pun intended)
posted by Danielle on 11-5-2007 at 11:16 am
How Serendipitous: just last night I was watching the special stuff on disc 2 of the Tim Burton “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” There was a section about the squirrel training that had to do for Veruca Salt’s downfall. What a task! No wonder they changed it to geese for the 1971 version!
posted by Karl on 11-5-2007 at 11:53 am
A few years ago, some friends and I went on vacation to D.C. I don’t know if it’s because it’s such a touristy area, but the squirrels there were amazingly domesticated. If they knew you had food (and thought you were a sucker) they’d follow you down the street until you fed them. My friends had to keep pulling me away because the little guys were amusing the crap out of me!
posted by caitlen315 on 11-5-2007 at 12:31 pm
I got my Grandmother a Squngee for Christmas. It’s a bungee cord with 2 ears of corn attached to the bottom. They jump on and take a ride while they’re eating. Fun for the whole family.
posted by Jenny on 11-5-2007 at 12:34 pm
Oh I would love to see the squirrel bungee! Too funny.
Well as much as you love squirrels (I like them enough if they keep to their wire-eating/attic invading/blulb eating selves)I dislike chipmunks. Just don’t get me going on those ‘cute’ house invaders! Chip and Dale my arse!
posted by JaneM on 11-5-2007 at 12:39 pm
My family has always taken on the role of Neighborhood Squirrel Patrons. We throw a few peanuts out on the front porch (that’s where the peanuts come from, I’m sure) every time we see one. The young ones will be shy, until they realize that when we show up, food will soon follow. Then they get REALLY ballsy- several of them like to climb on the screen door (so that when you open the main door, you are confronted with a squirrel-belly, kind of frightening if you’re not expecting it), and once, one climbed my Dad to get to the peanut in his hand. He was so shocked he just stood there. He said their claws were digging into his pants leg, but otherwise, it was kind of cool.
I love squirrels!
posted by Molly on 11-5-2007 at 12:41 pm
Well Scott - my great orange squirrel hunter kitty is doing his part keeping the population down. We found his stash yesterday in the little tykes castle in the yard. Lots and lots of squirrel parts - looked like Jeffery Dahmers place - no wonder kitty has been refusing dinner.
jen
posted by Jen Smith on 11-5-2007 at 1:19 pm
What, no squirrel catapult video?
posted by Johnny Cat on 11-5-2007 at 1:51 pm
Growing up I lived in a 6th floor apartment and outside our fire escape there was a large, empty flower pot my mom had left there. A couple of squirrels had set up shop there and were creating a nest. My mom proceeded to leave them offerings.
She put out an old scarf and them used that for the nest. She also put a wood shelf over the flower pot/nest for shelter from the rain. And of course she would leave them food offerings.
These squirrels loved us!
She started passing them food by hand and when that went well she started leaving the window open. They would come in, run up and down the curtains and go back. My mom taught me to look but be wary of touching. To respect them.
They had their babies (ADORABLE!!!) and would return every year.
My mom would still leave the window open and one morning my she awoke to find a squirrel sleeping on the covers over her legs. She just moved a little to shoo it away.
Thanks to my mom I love all animals, including squirrels.
posted by Sweet Pea on 11-5-2007 at 1:55 pm
In high school I received the shock of my life one morning when I woke up… the window right next to my bed had no screen my the glass was down, leaving a little ledge for a squirrel to jump on from outside. My bed was right next to the window… I woke up looking straight at it! My sister wasn’t so lucky, her window had a weak spot and the squirrel invited itself into her room! Didn’t like them so much then.
Anyone who loves squirrels, I would recommend going to college where I did, Elon University. Squirrels MUST outnumber people there, it’s a big joke everyone always comments about. I’ve been chased by one at least 3 times.
posted by Kelly on 11-5-2007 at 2:12 pm
Put me squarely in the “hearts” column. Except that I like to spell it, “squrrlz” as in, “I luvz squrrlz, and squrrlz luvz nutz.”
Or wait, do you think I need the “i” in there, too? “squirrlz” or “squrrlz”?
But if I had one eat my wiring, I’d probably be hating squrrlz, too.
Put a squngee on my x-mas list, please.
posted by Mary on 11-5-2007 at 4:20 pm
WTF? No Squirrel Catapault?
Best. Squirrel. Video. EVER.
posted by Avi on 11-6-2007 at 12:34 am
and of course there is BOB THE SQUIRREL…
google him— you’ll love him…
posted by dude on 11-6-2007 at 6:04 am
Actually, the best way to spell them is “skwerlz”.
posted by Molly on 11-6-2007 at 8:30 am
Squirrels? I hate the d*mn things. Always breaking into my bird feeders, chewing on my porch steps, and generally being destructive. That’s what my pellet gun is for. (I hit one one day. He leaped straight up into the air about two feet, then just as he landed a hawk swooped down and grabbed him. Made my day.)
Chipmunks on the other hand are cute and friendly; I like them.
posted by KarlB on 11-6-2007 at 9:04 am
We have two baby squirrels that eat at our back yard bird feeder. They’re so cute and fun to watch. If a cat comes near them, I will throw things at it! Damn cats!
posted by Amy on 11-6-2007 at 9:57 am
This is no lie. Squirrels are WAY smarter than scientists think. I have been around sqwerls all my life and they are amazing. The best story I have is that I infrequently leave some peanut butter out on the last step of my back porch. The next day while looking out the window I saw the squirrel with a little piece of leaf/twig from some plant, place the twig on the exact porch step. I know for a fact he is communicating with me. He was thanking me or begging for more of that incredible peanut butter that they love so much.
posted by werl on 11-6-2007 at 2:13 pm
We have a monster-size maple tree just outside the back door, and a family of squirrels living in it. This spring, there were no fewer than four babies; it was not uncommon to see the four of them and mom out playing in the grass under the tree.
Now, we only see three of them around. All are fat and sleek, well fed in spite of my wife’s efforts to keep them out of the bird feeders. Way too smart and persistent to keep out.
The kids named one of the babies (now fully grown) Ninja Squirrel. He can often be seen playing around the base of the tree, throwing his toy (any odd piece of wood or whatever) around and jumping at it like he’s being attacked or attacking. It’s hilarious. And the races he has with other squirrels around and on and through the tree are equally fun to watch.
Last year the kids named another neighborhood squirrel “Stumpy”; he lost his tail somehow. Very goofy looking squirrel without a tail.
As much as we dislike what they do to flower beds and flower pots, I can’t bring myself to pop any with the pellet gun. Much too charming for that. I’ll save my ammo for the cottontails and 13-stripe ground squirrels. Durned rodents.
posted by Dave on 11-6-2007 at 10:12 pm
The squirrel obstacle course isn’t bad. I’ve seen better, though. My mentor - H. C. Blithe - put one together that made the squirrel pull off tricks on a half-pipe before moving on.
posted by Greg Horning on 11-15-2007 at 2:00 am
How do I attract squirrels back into my yard?They use to come out all the time.One of them almost came in the house!In the past few months,I havn’t seen any squirrels.Every time I throw peanuts out,the blue jays and titmice steal them.The deer eat at the corn feeder every night.What is wrong?
posted by Someone on 1-26-2008 at 12:07 pm