Squirrels are one of the most popular wild animals.
Read what you need to know about the cute and clever little animals.
Berlin – It runs up the tree at lightning speed, vertically and seemingly effortlessly.
It moves so quickly that we humans usually only see the squirrel out of the corner of our eye.
The full name of the small animal that Central Europeans know from parks, forests and gardens is the Eurasian squirrel.
With its climbing skills and cute appearance, it is one of the most popular wild animals in Germany.
Red Squirrel: What Does a Eurasian Red Squirrel Look Like?
The squirrel, which is widespread in Germany, is about 20 centimeters long.
In addition, there is his bushy tail, which is the same length.
Its fur is always white or grey-white on the belly, while the rest of its fur varies in appearance depending on its habitat and the time of year.
In the fir forests of northern regions, squirrels are dark brown, while those in mixed forests wear a russet dress.
So they can camouflage themselves better.
In addition, the coat thickens in autumn to keep the animals warm in winter.
Eurasian squirrels weigh from 200 to 400 grams. They are diurnal and live not only in forests, but also in cities.
They are so-called culture followers: that is what wild animals are called that follow people into urban areas.
Squirrels: That's what they like to eat best
Squirrels prefer to eat nuts and seeds – for example from spruce, pine, walnut and hazelnut trees.
They also like sunflower seeds, buds, bark and mushrooms.
An average squirrel eats about 80 grams every day in the summer. For this they have to open many dozens of cones and pull out the seeds.
In winter, squirrels need a lot less food: around 35 grams a day is then normal.
They don't hibernate though.
However, they take it easy in winter and are only on the road for a few hours to look for their provisions.
Squirrels and their habitat: what forests they like
Squirrels live in both mixed and coniferous forests.
They prefer forests where the treetops are close together: This way they can move around easily and are protected from birds of prey.
It is crucial for their habitat that the trees bear seeds.
For this, the trees must be several years old.
How well squirrel populations fare depends heavily on their food supply.
In some years, beech and spruce bear a lot of seeds.
Then the number of squirrels will also increase.
If the trees bear less fruit, the squirrels start looking for new feeding grounds.
You can help squirrels by offering them species-appropriate food.
Squirrels: The Myth of Forgotten Food
Squirrels gather nuts, seeds and mushrooms from stock in summer and fall.
They bury it in different parts of their territory to protect it from other animals.
This is how they prepare for the time when food is scarce.
One often speaks of forgetful squirrels who forget their provisions and accidentally plant new trees.
That's partly true: the squirrel can't always remember its up to 3,000 hiding places.
However, it does find about 60 percent of its widespread supply.
The squirrel relies on its sense of smell: it can even use it to smell seeds under thick layers of snow.
Squirrels: Skillful trapeze artists of the treetops
Anyone who has ever hung up food for wild birds in the garden has probably been able to watch the spectacle: it hangs upside down and holds on to the smallest projections.
Even birdhouses marketed as squirrel-proof don't deter the skilled climber.
This is due to its physique: it controls its movements and balances with its large tail.
Thanks to its strong hind legs, it can make long jumps.
So it can jump from tree to tree - and also keep its balance on small feeding boxes.
And: squirrels learn quickly.
That's what researchers observed during a study for the journal Science.
Squirrels traversing an unfamiliar course tried different routes and learned from their mishaps.
While jumping, they adjust their flight through the air by turning their bodies dexterously.
Squirrels: where do wild animals sleep?
Squirrels build their nests in trees: at a height of between six and 15 meters, often at the fork of branches.
The Kobel, as these tree nests are called, consist of brushwood, twigs, leaves and needles.
They protect the animals from rain and cold.
There is usually a main and a few side burrows distributed throughout the territory: so that the squirrel has a place to retreat to everywhere.
This is where they withdraw at night and for their afternoon nap.
From the outside, squirrel nests have a diameter of about 30 centimeters.
Because the walls are quite thick and the Kobel is softly padded on the inside - with moss, feathers and grass - the interior is only about 15 centimeters in size.
The squirrel nests have multiple exits.
This is how the squirrels can flee if one of their enemies - marten, weasel, cat, hawk, buzzard or owl - is getting close to them.
Squirrels: Are they endangered by conspecifics?
In addition to the Eurasian squirrel, there are many other squirrel species.
Most of them are native to North America.
From there, the gray squirrel also came to Great Britain in the 19th century, where it has since displaced the native Eurasian squirrel.
You can recognize gray squirrels by the lack of tufts of hair on their ears.
These are very prominent in our native squirrel, especially in winter.
The gray squirrel is slightly larger and stronger than our native squirrel.
What is particularly dangerous is that many of them have the parapox virus.
They themselves are immune to it, but Eurasian squirrels often die from it.
The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin has reported that a newer type of smallpox virus is also found in Germany.
The squirrels' eyes and ears stick together and their paws are also affected.
The disease is very painful.
It is unclear where the virus came from.
Because: There are still no gray squirrels in Germany.
In Italy, however, they have already spread - they were released there in the 1940s.
