Squirrel Appreciation Day celebrates 25th anniversary
You’ve been waiting all year, and now it’s finally time to give a big shoutout to one of the most commonly seen creatures across our country.
Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day, which has been celebrated since 2001 according to The National Day Calendar.
The day, according to the website, was created by American Wildlife Rehabilitator Christy Hargrove as a way to celebrate and recognize a rodent that is so familiar to many of us.
In honour of our furry friends, let’s take a look at five fun and strange facts you may not have known.
1. Groundhogs, prairie Dogs, and chipmunks are squirrels
There are actually more than 250 different types of squirrels across the planet.
The American red squirrel, seen here, is found in every province and territory across Canada. (Image credit: Brian Keating)
That includes more than 20 different species that exist all over Canada.
2. There are flying squirrels all over Canada
There are three species of flying squirrels found across Canada.
Those include the Northern flying squirrel, the Southern flying squirrel, and the recently named Humboldt’s flying squirrel, which was once thought to be a variant of the Northern breed.
The Humboldt’s flying squirrel is found on the Pacific coast between southern B.C. and northern California, and was only recently classified in 2017. (Image credit: Nick Kerhoulas)
The reason you might not have seen one before is because they are nocturnal, meaning they only come out at night.
Their name is misleading, however. Flying squirrels don’t actually fly, but instead use flaps of skin between their forelegs and back legs to glide through the air.
Some species can glide almost 450 metres.
3. Squirrels come in many sizes
African pigmy squirrels are the smallest squirrels in the world, and grow to about 10 centimetres long.
In comparison, the largest are the giant squirrels of Asia, which can grow to about a metre in length.
4. Black squirrels aren’t a thing
In some parts of Canada, it’s quite common to see jet-black squirrels roaming around.
Black squirrels aren’t their own species. They are a unique genetic expression of one of two types of squirrels. (Image credit: Jason Lowther/CBC)
But there’s no such thing as a black squirrel species.
They are, instead, either an Eastern grey squirrel or fox squirrel that have more melanin in their fur, which is a pigment produced in animals that gives skin and hair its colour.
5. Squirrels plant thousands of trees each year
If governments around the world aren’t doing enough to protect the environment, thankfully squirrels are doing their part.
That’s because squirrels abandon — and in some cases, completely forget about — the nuts and acorns they bury underground, leading to the birth of many trees each year.
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TOP IMAGE CREDIT: Ivanoh Demers/CBC/Radio-Canada