In Defense of Squirrels

[OrdinaryTa]

A few weeks ago some people called squirrels "rats with bushy tails". I think that's an unfortunate characterization. Squirrels, for the most part, mind their own business. They don't attack children; in fact they provide an example of tidy virtue.

Here's a question for nature lovers. Sparrows hop when they walk, but how would you describe the odd way squirrels walk? It's herky-jerky, but they don't quite hop. I saw one crossing the street on the telephone wire overhead, and he slipped! But just as quickly as he slipped, he righted himself. They're not as dumb as people think.

Let the record show that squirrels are not here to please us. Just the same, I think they are good animals. I like them.

[JVS]

1. I declare fatwa upon the squirrels! Those infidels must be destroyed!

[burrowowl]

2. When I was at Penn State

there was a big bad gray squirrel that waylaid students going to class. A fellow made a fortune selling tiny bags of popcorn, sunflower seeds, etc. for students to distract the squirrel so he would not attack. I wore hiking boots at the time, even when it was warm. Sandel wears got bloodied toes. (Was fond of the scrappy little bastard though).

[newyawker99]

28. Congrats burrowowl!! 200 posts

:toast:

[kixot]

3. You ever tried squirrel fishin'?

You take this nut, see, and tie it to the end of a string and cast it out into the yard while sitting on the porch. Then you just wait till one them little varmint come up tryin to get the nut ...

[HEyHEY]

6. it's fun

then they wrestle with the nut

[ForrestGump]

8. From those fun-loving folks at Harvard University's

Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the ultimate all-you-need-to-know resource for squirrel fishing:

http://www.eecs.harvard.edu/~yaz/en/squirrel_fishing.html

[TroubleMan]

4. There's only one squirrel that I don't like

It's that stupid squirrel in that "Wheeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!" video. You know, the "gonads and strife" one.

You couldn't post on any forum anywhere in the internet for like a whole 4 months without some dumbass addding a "Whhheeeeeeeee!!" to your topic.

It was like a virus.

[Another Bill C.]

5. Where do they go?

As long as we're on squirrels, maybe I can bounce this theory off of you. I've been around squirrels for a long time. There have always been lots of squirrels in the trees in my yard. I've never seen one die a natural death and drop out of the tree, though. I think that somewhere there's a squirrel graveyard just like the elephants have. When squirrels get sick or really old, they head off the the squirrel graveyard to die.

The squirrel graveyard would have this curse, too. Anyone finding it and sneaking into it for stealing squirrel tails would not be able to walk under an oak tree without acorns raining down on them. Or they would die in a terrible accident while driving down a street and trying to avoid thousands of squirrels running halfway across the street and then turning around and running back.

Squirrels are really fascinating.

[ForrestGump]

7. I love squirrels, but perhaps we SHOULD fear them

There are a surprising number of Web pages dedicated to the idea of a squirrel takeover.

These pages, for example, include...well...you just kinda have to look:

http://www.greysquirrel.net/frontpage.html



And this one:

http://www.scarysquirrel.org/page1.html



And then there's the well-documented incident at a MOntana university, a takeover - sadly, I couldn't find the story and picture for that one, but it was chilling.


And here's the sordid truth behind why squirrels run out in front of cars, before changing their minds - squirrel hazing:

http://web.wt.net/~psherr/squirrel_hazing.htm

[Cush]

9. Squirrels Rule

I love watching them run around the yard, more enteraining than the birds

[cprise]

22. Video: Ever seen one teach itself

...to go through an obstacle course?

http://www.squirrels.org/video.html

These animals are intellegent!

[RushIsRot]

10. I feed a gang of squirrels almost every day -- by hand.

I visit a local park and these squirrels know me. When I park my car, I sound the horn. I then visit the comfort station. Today, when I got onto the connecting path between the civilized portion of the park and the trails, five squirrels were there awaiting my arrival! When I got to the feeding table, I had about 7 or 8 join me. All told I must have 12 - 15 that will come to me and accept food from my hands. They have me well trained!

[Kool Kitty]

21. Me, too.

There are a couple that come up on my deck every day to be fed. They are cute and fearless and I am spending a fortune feeding them.

[curse10]

11. I love squirrels!

But I love all animals, even rats. :-)

Squirrels, however, are particularly cute. I've always wanted to see the flying kind in real life. Beautiful creatures.

[Wolfman 11]

12. I like squirrels, too.

They taste better than rabbits.

[curse10]

13. Ha ha

:eyes:

[TroubleMan]

14. LOL...

You've performed oral sex on both rabbits and squirrels?


WOW!!

[Wolfman 11]

15. as I've said before...

I had no sexual contact with those rodents.

[TroubleMan]

16. It reminds me of a joke

Q: What did one lesbian frog say to the other?

A: Do we really taste like chicken?

[Wolfman 11]

17. your joke offends me

I am part frog.

[TroubleMan]

20. I apologize

I didn't know the WB mascot posted on these boards.

I loved you in the Bugs Bunny cartoons....can you sing the "Hello My Baby" song for me.....I love that one.

[Rhiannon12866]

18. I like squirrels, as well. They are intelligent and industrious creatures

and are endlessly entertaining. I say this despite the fact that I have lost hold of more than one dog leash when one of my guys has suddenly darted after them (Sheena). They have no hope of catching them, of course. I am totally amazed at the acrobatics they perform, leaping from tree to tree. The clumsy ones that you mention must be confined to Downstate!:-)

As for calling them ``rats with bushy tails,'' you must realize that there are many who love their pet rats on DU. I once had a pet rat. He was my lab rat in Experimental Psych in college and I became quite fond of him. Because he was so smart, I pulled a solid B in a very tough course; all my graphs came out perfectly, thanks to him. He was destined to be ``recycled'' to the biology lab! No way! I kept him for the rest of his natural life, which was all too short. He liked to be scratched between his ears and would close his eyes in enjoyment. This is very odd, as I was just discussing this with someone who is currently a biology major, earlier today.:shrug:

[jafap]

23. the old cartoon Wildlife

which was local to Wisconsin had this one little story about this squirrel infestation in his yard. Another character asked if they were gray squirrels or red squirrels. He said "RED squirrels? We cannot have these communist squirrels with their unamerican ideas." Then the squirrels shouted "peace, freedom, brotherhood" and he said: "you see what I mean?"
Once I tried to date a girl who had dozens of pets. She claimed that she had handled thousands of rats in her lab job and that she found them to be quite gentle creatures.
I love to watch squirrels and have never hit one with my car, but I have seen one chewing through a plastic garbage can lid.

[FireHeart]

24. I take it she never met

a New York sewer rat. :(

Those Norwegian lab rats or the whites ARE very gentle creatures. Friendly and very affectionate. Until you crowd them into small cages and the population builds. Then they get real nasty.

*sigh* Just waxing meloncholy.

[Rhiannon12866]

29. LOL! I am familiar with red squirrels.

We had a preponderance of them when I was a small child, living in northern (Essex County) New York. I seem to recall they were much more aggressive than the gray ones, and considerably smaller. I breaked for a squirrel (gray) today. I would do most anything to avoid hitting any animal.:-(

[scarlet_owl]

19. I love squirrels!

I watched one building a nest the other day. We have one who lives by our apartment without a tail. We call him Bob. One day my husband was walking to the bus stop, and Bob came flying out of the dumpster, scaring the crap out of my husband.

[Scimmio]

25. I am agin 'em!

they're, well, squirrelly...

[dusty64]

26. I have a few "tame"

squirrels and their antics never cease to amuse me. I enjoy their company and they enjoy the peanuts I buy for them and the jays (6 pounds a week). The road is a problem at times, people fly by like its a highway and I often worry about them. Sometimes they are not very lucky.

[Darth_Kitten]

27. Amen........

I like squirrels, they are cute, have bushy tails, and got 'tude. :evilgrin:

I say to all the squirrel haters, try hopping from tree to tree on the thinnest of branches and say that squirrels aren't remarkable creatures.... :evilgrin: :)

[Maddy McCall]

30. Until they eat the fenders off your jeep renegade...

after they demolished the wiring. I can't stand the little beasts...they are really destructive.