Proteins belong to the class of mammalian animals and are rodents. They are distributed around the world where there are coniferous-deciduous forests, with the exception of Australia. In total, about thirty of their species are found. The squirrel is gray, or else it is added to its name “Caroline”, the traditional habitat is in eastern North America, as well as in Canada. Now it is actively breeding in Europe, where it was brought back in the 19th century, where the animal masters the territory of Britain.
Appearance of Western Squirrel
In the article you can see a photo of gray squirrels in vivo.
They look very nice and pleasant, but if you get to know each other better, which we will do, you can learn a lot of strange things about them. These cute squirrels are quite large. Their weight ranges from four hundred grams to one kg, and the size is about half a meter.
On the back of their fur is a beautiful silver color, and on the stomach - white. On the tail, which they use as a steering wheel, there may be black spots. The ears are large, but there are no tassels on them. By winter, the ears become brown behind. Full molting occurs in spring and autumn. Only before winter, the hair on the tail is not updated. Having learned its dimensions, it becomes clear why the overseas squirrel is actively crowding out the worst European squirrels that live with us into the worst territories.
Where she likes to live Caroline squirrel
Gray squirrel prefers forests, where beeches and oaks grow, mixing with Christmas trees and pines. She needs an area not small - about forty hectares. But she perfectly settles in parks where people feed her throughout the year, which is very important for the animal, especially in winter. In the parks, these animals quickly get used to people and stop paying attention to them, going down low along the trunk of trees directly to the ground. Tourists in England are delighted that the squirrel takes everything from his hands: nuts, hamburgers, sandwiches, cookies. These squirrels do not like dogs, so they often sit on branches rather low and funny clicks, teasing a dog who can not reach them. In nature, their enemies are predatory lynxes, coyotes, eagles, hawks, and even cats.
Garden Pest
In England, where she was brought, the gray squirrel quickly got accustomed, since she does not have natural enemies there. In addition to the usual food in the homeland, she quickly got to the gardens and began to dig up flower bulbs, eat up bark on trees, eat young seedlings, buds and flowers, frogs, and food in bird feeders.
A large, strong and intelligent animal ruins the nests of birds, destroying eggs and chicks. They even began to produce special bird feeders, metal and ceramic, but even this does not allow to cope with dexterous animals that gnaw and unscrew them to the base in order to get to food.
That is why the squirrels are gray and have become in England not only for gardeners, hunting farms, but also for enemy government No. 1. They are not only allowed, but also encouraged to hunt. But this method does not yet allow to cope with a rapidly growing population, although the protein has a short lifespan. It averages four years. In addition, this protein is a carrier of smallpox. It is good that vaccinations against smallpox in almost all civilized countries are mandatory.
Life in the Hollow
If a squirrel has chosen a hollow for itself, then it is usually located high: 7-15 meters from the ground - this is the norm. She selects a place so that there are no nests of wild bees or martens nearby. When the squirrel sleeps, then it is covered with a fluffy tail.
Animal dwelling
For a nest of squirrels, the gray one chooses a hollow or an old crow's nest, tightly connected by clay. From above, she covers it with a lid. And inside it is lined with its fur, moss, dry soft grass. The walls of the nest are not blown, as they do not have gaps. Such a structure with a diameter of 43-91 cm is called Gayno.
It is usually built on Christmas trees in a fork in a tree. It always has two outputs. One is located right at the trunk, so that in case of danger it was possible to quickly jump out onto the trunk and jump onto another tree or hide in a dense crown.
Builds such a guyo protein-female to output squirrels. The male does not take part in the creation of the dwelling. For himself, he finds the nests that the birds left. If the gray squirrel bred offspring, then it has a few more nests or a hollow in its reserve.
She regularly transfers her squirrels in her teeth from one room to another. Then there is less odor by which a predator can find it, and bloodsucking insects do not appear. This is done once every two to three days. But only a few nests were built very carefully, the rest, the number of which can reach up to fifteen, are not so convenient: these are temporary shelters.
The whites are small and completely naked. They are born reddish, and only when they grow up, they will be covered with a beautiful silver-gray fur coat. In the meantime, they have only vibris. This is what people usually call a mustache. Offspring appears twice a year. Usually three to four squirrels are born, which the protein feeds with milk for two months. Then their eyes open, then they grow with a fur coat and in a year turn into adults.
Lifestyle in summer and winter
On a hot day, meeting a gray squirrel is almost impossible. She lies down in her nest, choosing for hikes a previously cool morning or evening, when the air temperature has already dropped. By winter, the animal prepares carefully. For the winter, he does not hibernate.
Squirrel prepares food supplies for the winter and puts them in secret pantries. The gray squirrel in winter can forget about part of its reserves, therefore it will eat without a twinge of conscience with those blanks that it will find among its relatives. She loves seeds, nuts and acorns, berries and mushrooms, as well as insects. In very cold winters, when everything has already been eaten, squirrels can migrate en masse from forests to parks, where they will always find food left for them by people.
Veksha - red squirrel
Our ordinary squirrel is completely small. It is about ten cm long, and twenty more must be added to the tail. Thus, gray and red proteins differ significantly not only in color but also in size. The hair of the vexa is very fluffy, because the animal looks bigger than it actually is. Her eyes are large, and her ears are long with tassels, which are clearly visible in winter. With her sharp claws on long fingers, she clings well to the bark of trees and easily moves from a thin branch to another, similar one. Probably no one has ever seen the vechsa fall.
