The squirrel is a representative of the class of mammals. Included in the order of rodents. The common Latin name is Sciurus. In addition to this family, which includes the familiar squirrel, there are also many other representatives of squirrels included in other genera - palm squirrel, red squirrel, etc.

Description of the squirrel

The squirrel's body is elongated, ending in a fluffy tail, which is constantly covered with thick fur. In length it sometimes exceeds the size of the body, but most often they coincide: both the tail and the body reach from 20 cm to 31 cm. The animal’s forelimbs are somewhat shorter than the hind limbs, which is very noticeable when the squirrel begins to feed. On both the hind and front paws, the 4th toe is the longest. In size it is a medium and small animal.

The squirrel's ears are large, elongated, sometimes with a tassel at the end. Fur depends on the season: in summer time it is short, sparse and rough to the touch, whereas in winter it is soft, thick and tall. Squirrels molt twice a year – on the body and once on the tail. The common color is darkish brown, with a lighter belly. Sometimes it’s gray, especially in winter. In addition, orange, yellow, yellowish-dirty, white in the abdominal part and red (all shades), black-brown, gray-brown on the back. The tone, as a rule, depends on the geographical background of color variability.

Types of squirrels

Not only representatives of the squirrel family are called squirrels - in addition to the genus Sciurus, to which they belong, several more are also known (for example, from the genus Tamiasciurus - red squirrels, Funambulus - palm squirrels, etc.). Regarding the genus Sciurus, it is worth noting that it contains about 30 species of squirrels.

The most famous of them are proteins:

• gray;
• Japanese;
• Nayarit;
• gray-yellow;
• Carolina;
• golden-bellied;
• Arizona;
• Persian;
• Brazilian;
• Allen's squirrel;
• Abert's squirrel and others.

There are also other proteins:

• black;
• Kagalymskaya;
• Yucatan;
• motley;
• Veksha squirrel;
• Squirrel Druid;
• Sanborn's squirrel;
• Richmond's squirrel, etc.

Squirrel habits

One of the oldest and most traditional habits of squirrels is their tendency to stock up on winter supplies.(usually a variety of nuts play this role). However, the squirrel is forgetful, since it makes a lot of such “bins” - both in hollows and on the ground. But they do not disappear, sprouting over time. Thus, the habits of squirrels contribute to the preservation of forest plantations.

Also, one of the habits is to stand on its hind limbs when danger is perceived - in this way, the squirrel better covers the territory surrounding it with its gaze. When an enemy is detected, the squirrel often makes shrill sounds, warning its relatives.

Squirrels love to sleep at midday, hiding in a hollow - when sun rays are starting to get hot. They go for walks in the forest in the evenings or early in the morning. They are afraid of any bad weather - heavy rains, storms, but especially blizzards. Although squirrels swim quite well, they do not go into the water, avoiding sputum.

Squirrels try to prepare thoroughly for the cold weather, making all kinds of food supplies. If autumn is cooler than always, then this is extremely detrimental for squirrels, since they have to eat what was put aside for the winter: in this situation, as a rule, there are no reserves left for that time, and the animals starve.

But when there is plenty of food, squirrels collect them for a rainy day, setting up storerooms in the roots of trees, in stumps, in depressions on the ground, in crevices of trunks, in abandoned nests, between stones and bushes, in hollows and even in burrows they have dug. Squirrels usually hide seeds, grains, nuts and mushrooms, which they can plant on dried branches.

Where does the squirrel live?

The squirrel is found wherever there are forests and groves. The most favorite places for squirrels are among dense and dry forests with tall trees. Equally squirrels cannot tolerate sunlight and dampness. He likes to sit in hollows or right in empty tree trunks, making a nest for himself. Sometimes a squirrel makes a home in the fork of two branches, not far from the main trunk. This is how it usually forms nests open type, which at the bottom look like traditional birds, and at the top are tightly closed with a flat conical roof. It protects the squirrel from rain and snow.

The main exit faces east and is usually located to the side. In the immediate vicinity of the trunk there is another exit - a spare one, in case of an emergency retreat. The outer part of squirrel nests consists of interweavings of thick and thin branches (twigs). Inside, all squirrel nests (both open and closed) are dry, lined with delicate moss, forming a soft bedding. But special attention The squirrels pay attention to the base, making it on the basis of an abandoned crow's dwelling, the bottom of which is well cemented with clay and earth.

What does a squirrel eat?

The basis of the protein diet is a variety of plant foods.: shoots and buds of trees, dried and freshly picked mushrooms, nuts, fruits, berries, pine and spruce seeds. Squirrels do not disdain acorns, cereals, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and bark. But they eat seeds most readily coniferous trees, which are hidden in cones - spruce and pine. Squirrels are also great hunters of bird eggs. Often they do not spare even the chicks.

As you can see, the food of these animals is very rich in fats, carbohydrates and proteins. This is due to the fact that, unlike deer or hares, which also eat vegetation, squirrels cannot digest fiber. The most difficult period for feeding is early spring, when seeds buried in the ground begin to germinate and are therefore not suitable for food, and there is still a long wait until the next harvest. Then the squirrels begin to feed on the buds (most often silver maple). They can also eat frogs, insects, mammals, and small birds, but still give preference to chicks and clutches. In tropical regions, all this replaces traditional nuts for squirrels.

Squirrel habitats

Squirrels are found wherever trees grow, excluding the Australian continent. The genus of squirrels unites over 30 species of squirrels, the distribution area of ​​which covers Asian zones from temperate climate, North and South American continents, European countries (all), Trans-Urals and Transcaucasia. Squirrels are also found in Northern and Southern Siberia, from where they move to Altai and Indochina.

Reproduction of squirrels

Adult squirrels mate in March, young squirrels mate a little later, closer to summer.. During this period, up to 10 or more males gather around one female, who fiercely fight for the right to primacy and procreation. After a little more than a month, 3-7 cubs appear in the squirrel nest. For childbirth, the squirrel usually chooses hollow trees, in which it forms a cozy and warm nest covered with moss.

At first, the baby squirrels feed only on their mother's milk, but when they stop sucking, the mother or father gets and brings them food for several days, and then leaves them to give birth to another offspring. In summer, the female, as a rule, brings fewer squirrels compared to the spring litter. When the second brood grows up and begins to run on its own, the parents unite it with the first, settling the entire family (from 12 to 16 squirrels) in one part of the forest.

The squirrel is a very popular hunting object because it has valuable fur, in demand in fur harvesting. Squirrel hunting is especially common in taiga regions. However, only winter fur is suitable: squirrels shot between October/November and February/March produce a skin of excellent quality - with hair that is amazingly soft and smooth.

(no topic)

Please tell me how to convey my thoughts to my father, who agrees with me in a conversation, and then does everything his own way, under the influence of his hysterical wife, who has learned very well...

Rimma Korovkina
Summary of the conversation “Squirrel in Winter”

Target: Expand children's knowledge about wild animal protein.

Tasks:

Form ideas about the peculiarities of squirrel life in winter. Strengthen the ability to answer questions in complete sentences

of 4-5 words. Strengthen the ability to use adjectives in speech.

To instill in children a caring and caring attitude towards squirrels. Fostering the need for reasonable care for her.

Make children want to take care of them.

Guys, today a package arrived in our group. Let's see what's in it. What did they send us here?

Oh, there are pine cones, nuts, acorns and a note. What does it say?

"Hello guys: girls and boys! Winter holidays are over. So, I invite you all to winter forest. It's so beautiful here now! I am sending you gifts. See you soon".

Oh, I wonder who gave us the pine cones, nuts, acorns? It is written on the packaging mystery:

"From branch to branch, fast as a ball,

A red-haired circus performer gallops through the forest.

So on the fly he picked a cone,

He jumped onto the trunk and ran into the hollow.”

(Squirrel)

This is who invites us to the forest! Do you want to meet with squirrel?

Then let's go to the forest. Are you ready? Well, let's go!

"We are walking through snowdrifts

Through steep snowdrifts.

Raise your leg higher

Make way for others!”

Here we are. (On screen 1 slide: winter forest, music)

Hello, forest, winter forest! You are full of secrets and miracles! How beautiful the forest is in its winter attire. Let's try to pick beautiful words to describe the forest. (Children pick up words: mysterious, magical, fabulous)

And where is forest animals? Look, he's meeting us squirrel. (2 slide).

What is she like? (children's answers).

The squirrel is small, it has a round head with large black eyes and long ears with tassels at the ends. Tassels on ears squirrels grow in winter.

Beautiful, fluffy tail. The tail serves as a rudder when jumping. When jumping or falling, a squirrel can use its tail to change direction. Can jump 4 meters.

Did something happen to her fur? What kind of fur has become squirrels in winter?

That's right, her fur coat is red in summer, and winter gray, to a bluish tint. In summer the fur is coarse and short, but fluffy and soft in winter.

Animals' coat color changes in winter for camouflage, and it gets thicker.

Wool protein, like all animals, it grows back in winter and becomes very warm and fluffy. Therefore, in cold weather she is not cold in her fur coat. (3 slide)

What does it eat? squirrel in winter(Children list what they remember).

That's right, in nature, squirrels happily eat pine cones, berries, and mushrooms in cold weather. (4 slide).

Look what it is squirrel does(5 slide).

U squirrels She has a very sensitive nose and she can feel where she has made provisions for the winter. Thoughtful animals dig out from under the snow pre-stored mushrooms, nuts, cones and dried berries.

Cones are a favorite winter food protein. With sharp teeth, she deftly cuts off the scales and at the same time constantly twists the cone with her paws. All that remains is a thin rod and a bunch of individual scales. (6 slide).

One squirrel can collect 2 thousand over the summer. mushrooms Mushrooms hang on tree branches. When collecting nuts for the winter, the squirrel hides them in the ground, in hollows. She may forget about the acorns and cones that she hid in the ground, and then a tree grows. This is the benefit of the forest.

Who knows what kind of house a squirrel has? (Hollow).(7 slide).

A squirrel's home is a nest or hollow. Squirrel's nest unusual: made of intertwined branches in the shape of a ball with a side entrance. A bedding of moss, lichen and soft fur will keep it very dry and warm. It happens that squirrels also settle in tree hollows. Winters can be cold, so to keep warm, a few squirrels sleep in the same hollow. They cover the entrance with moss, which creates warmth, and the temperature difference between the street and the house can be 40 degrees. In severe frosts, the animals do not leave their homes.

In order not to starve, squirrels sometimes have to eat thin tree branches. (8 slide).

Squirrel She sent us a treat, and we will treat her too. (9 slide) Squirrels will be happy with fruits and berries, especially in dried form. Pieces of apples, raisins, dried apricots, prunes - all this can be offered to a hungry animal. In the city, squirrels get along with humans easily and trust him so much that they take food from his hands. This restless, playful animal is a real decoration of our parks and forests.

How good is it? in the forest in winter! The air is frosty and fresh, there are big snowdrifts everywhere and lots and lots of snow. He beckons us to play. What about in winter What do children play most often? That's right, snowball fights! Let's relax and play together.

Physical exercise.

"Snowball Game"

"One, two, three, four -

You and I made a snowball:

Round, hard, very smooth

And completely, completely unsweetened.

Once - we'll throw it up,

Two - we'll catch

Three – we’ll drop it and break it!”

(Movements are performed in accordance with the text).

Listen! The squirrel got scared of something, it clicks. (Audio recording "The Clattering of a Squirrel",

When in danger, a squirrel makes a piercing sound, warning other relatives of the danger. It was we who played and made noise, shouted and the squirrel was scared.

Let's not scare squirrel, say goodbye to squirrel and return to the group.

Goodbye squirrel! See you again!

Squirrel (lat. Sciurus) is a mammal from the order of rodents, the squirrel family. This article describes this family.

Squirrel: description and photo

The common squirrel has long body, fluffy tail and long ears. Squirrel ears are large and elongated, sometimes with tufts at the end. The paws are strong, with strong and sharp claws. Thanks to their strong paws, rodents can climb trees so easily.

An adult squirrel has a large tail, which makes up 2/3 of its entire body and serves as its “rudder” in flight. She catches air currents with it and balances. Squirrels also use their tails to cover themselves when they sleep. When choosing a partner, one of the main criteria is the tail. These animals are very attentive to this part of their body; it is the squirrel’s tail that is an indicator of its health.

The size of an average squirrel is 20-31 cm. Giant squirrels are about 50 cm in size, with the length of the tail being equal to the length of the body. The smallest squirrel, the mouse, has a body length of only 6-7.5 cm.

The squirrel's coat is different in winter and summer, since this animal sheds twice a year. In winter, the fur is fluffy and dense, and in summer it is short and sparse. The color of the squirrel is not the same, it can be dark brown, almost black, red and gray with a white belly. In summer, squirrels are mostly red, and in winter their coats turn bluish-gray.

Red squirrels have brown or olive-red fur. In summer, a black longitudinal stripe appears on their sides, separating the belly and back. The fur on the tummy and around the eyes is light.

Flying squirrels have membranes of skin on the sides of their bodies, between the wrists and ankles, which allow them to glide.

Dwarf squirrels have gray or brown fur on their backs and light fur on their bellies.

Types of squirrels, names and photos

The squirrel family includes 48 genera, which consist of 280 species. Below are some members of the family:

• Common flying squirrel;
• White squirrel;
• Mouse squirrel;
• Common squirrel or Veksha is the only representative of the genus of squirrels on the territory of Russia.

The smallest is the mouse squirrel. Its length is only 6-7.5 cm, while the length of the tail reaches 5 cm.

Where does the squirrel live?

The squirrel is an animal that lives on all continents except Australia, Madagascar, the polar territories, southern South America and northwestern Africa. Squirrels live in Europe from Ireland to Scandinavia, in most of the CIS countries, in Asia Minor, partly in Syria and Iran, and in Northern China. These animals also inhabit the Northern and South America, islands of Trinidad and Tobago.
The squirrel lives in various forests: from northern to tropical. Spends most of its life in trees, excellent at climbing and jumping from branch to branch. Squirrel traces can also be found near bodies of water. These rodents also live close to humans near arable land and in parks.

What do squirrels eat?

Basically, the squirrel feeds on nuts, acorns, and seeds of coniferous trees: larch, fir. The squirrel's diet includes mushrooms and various grains. In addition to plant foods, it can feed on various beetles and bird chicks. In case of crop failure and early spring The squirrel eats buds on trees, lichens, berries, the bark of young shoots, rhizomes and herbaceous plants.

Squirrel in winter. How does a squirrel prepare for winter?

When a squirrel prepares for winter, it makes a lot of shelters for its supplies. She collects acorns, nuts and mushrooms, and can hide food in hollows, burrows or dig holes on her own. Many squirrels' winter reserves are stolen by other animals. And squirrels simply forget about some hiding places. The animal helps restore the forest after a fire and increases the number of new trees. It is because of the forgetfulness of squirrels that hidden nuts and seeds germinate and form new plantings. In winter, the squirrel does not sleep, having prepared a supply of food in the fall. During frosts, she sits in her hollow, half asleep. If the frost is mild, the squirrel is active: it can steal caches, chipmunks and nutcrackers, finding prey even under a one and a half meter layer of snow.

Squirrel in spring

Early spring is the most unfavorable time for squirrels, as during this period the animals have practically nothing to eat. The stored seeds are beginning to germinate, but new ones have not yet appeared. Therefore, squirrels can only feed on the buds on trees and gnaw on the bones of animals that died during the winter. Squirrels living near humans often visit bird feeders in the hope of finding seeds and grains there. In the spring, squirrels begin to molt, this happens in mid-late March, and molting ends at the end of May. Also in the spring, squirrels begin mating games.

“Squirrel, tell me, squirrel. What I thought about in silence.
Perhaps you forgot where you buried the nut in the fall?..."

The fabulously beautiful jumping red squirrel from the order of rodents has been known to each of us since childhood. A huge number of poems are dedicated to her, she is the heroine of many folk tales, they make riddles about her and sing songs.

It's hard to say when and where this came from true love person to squirrel. We only know that all this has been going on for a long time and nothing has changed in our time. These playful and surprisingly fast animals are admired by everyone, young and old, in parks, where they boldly jump from branch to branch in search of food and new sensations.

This beautiful animal is difficult to confuse with anyone else. The squirrel is small in size. Its body length usually reaches from 20 to 40 cm, and its weight is up to 1 kg. Her gorgeous fluffy tail is the length of her body. The squirrel's ears are small, tassel-shaped. The predominant coat color is red, but as winter approaches, gray and white tones are added.

In summer the coat is short and coarse, and in winter it becomes soft and fluffy. Closer to the North you can see completely black squirrels. Animals can jump at a distance of 4 to 10 meters. Their large and fluffy tail serves as their rudder and helps them correct their movements when jumping.

Features and habitat of squirrels

These wonderful animals live everywhere except. For them, the main thing is that there are groves, deep forests, and dense parks. Too much sunny places For some reason, squirrels are avoided. In terms of housing, this animal is very thoughtful.

They either make a house for themselves in the hollows of trees, or build a nest in a tree not far from the trunk, worrying in advance that the home is protected from difficult weather conditions.

Twigs of twigs, moss, an old bird's nest - this building materials for squirrel nests. In order to hold it all together, they most often use clay and earth.

Distinctive feature in their nest there are two exits, the main one - the main one and the spare one, as a strategic exit in times of possible danger. This fact suggests that what kind of squirrel animal, she is friendly, but not that gullible.

Character and lifestyle of squirrels

Squirrel animal who are considered very smart. And not only the double exit is proof of this. They prepare for winter ahead of time, while storing food for themselves. They mostly bury nuts in the ground near their home or simply hide them in a hollow.

Many scientists are inclined to believe that due to the fact that squirrels do not have a very good memory, trees grow from the many nuts they hide, which squirrels sometimes forget about.

They may dig up a newly planted plant in the hope that they can get the seeds out of the ground. They can move into the attic without hesitation or fear. They easily make contact with a person if they see food in his hands and can take it endlessly, hiding it in a hollow.

Squirrels that live in city parks have long learned one truth for themselves: that humans are a source of food for them. But it is not advisable to feed them by hand. They may often suffer from the plague or other diseases that can harm human health. Even if there is no illness, a squirrel can simply bite very painfully. They skillfully and skillfully crack nuts. It's a pleasure to watch.

Besides that squirrel is a useful animal it can cause some harm to a person. Their teeth are very strong and the squirrel can chew anything with them. If they live near a person's home, this may be a complete disaster.

In order to prevent squirrels from causing harm in the basement or on the hill and damaging property in those places, it is advisable to place animal skins. Stuffed animals don't help with this. The smell of the animal emanates from the skin and this to some extent repels the squirrels.

Even in severe frosts they do not leave their home. It happens that they gather three or four animals in one hollow, cover the entrance with moss and warm themselves, thus escaping the severe frosts.

Although they have a warm coat, in frosts below 20 degrees they do not leave their nests. They can sleep for days at this time. And only during the thaw do they emerge from the hollow to collect cones and replenish their food supply.

During lean seasons, squirrels move in droves in the direction where there is more food. Squirrel very agile and dexterous. They are cautious and careful; their nest or hollow is difficult to notice.

Domestic squirrels V lately not uncommon. They are bought in pet stores. But often little squirrels are found falling out of a hollow and left to live at home. Anyone who decides to get this animal should remember that this is an emotional animal and is susceptible to stress. In such situations, the squirrel may get sick.

For a domestic one, you need to build a small enclosure or put it in a cage. But from time to time she needs to be let out to run around the apartment, without leaving her unattended.

This is a fairly independent animal that does not quickly get used to humans at home. It takes a lot of time for a squirrel to even allow itself to be petted.

Nutrition

Squirrel prefers plant foods in the form of nuts, seeds, mushrooms, and berries. But she also likes eggs, frogs and insects. The animal collects a lot of mushrooms and strings them on a branch next to the hollow.

Vitality and life is entirely dependent on the availability of food. The more reserves they have and the more calories they have, the better the squirrel feels and the healthier it is.

Unfavorable weather conditions force the squirrels to eat all their food supplies. This leads to the death of the animal. For squirrels who live in parks, this is a little easier because a person always comes to the rescue.

Reproduction and lifespan of squirrels

March and April are for the naughty ones protein comes mating season. Males crowd in dozens around one female, trying to win her favor. Very often this causes fights. The female chooses the strongest one and from their copulation babies are born, usually from two to eight.

They are blind and completely helpless. Initially, the baby squirrels feed on their mother’s milk for six months. After switching to normal feeding, parents take turns bringing food to them.

After two weeks, the baby squirrels are covered with fur, and it becomes visible what color is the squirrel, and a month later they open their eyes. After babies are two months old, they are ready for independent life and can get their own food.

In captivity, animals also reproduce, but subject to proper care. In nature, squirrels live from two to four years. At home, their life span reaches up to fifteen years.

The common squirrel, or wecksha, is a rodent from the squirrel family. The only representative of the genus of squirrels in the fauna of Russia. IN colloquial speech And fiction often referred to as "red squirrel", which leads to confusion, since in the USA and Canada the same term refers to the red squirrel, a representative of the genus Tamiasciurus. Appearance This is a small animal with a typical squirrel appearance, with an elongated slender body and a fluffy tail with a “comb”. The length of her body is 19.5-28 cm, her tail is 13-19 cm (about 2/3 of the body length); weight 250-340 g. The head is rounded, with large black eyes. The ears are long, with tufts, especially pronounced in winter period. Sensitive vibrissae grow on the muzzle, front legs and belly. The hind limbs are noticeably longer than the forelimbs. Fingers with tenacious sharp claws. The hair on the sides of the tail reaches a length of 3-6 cm, which is why the tail has a flattened shape.

The squirrel's winter fur is tall, soft and fluffy, while its summer fur is coarser, sparse, and short. In terms of color variability, the squirrel holds one of the first places among the animals of the Palaearctic. Its color changes seasonally, among subspecies, and even within the same population. In summer, it is dominated by red, brown or dark brown tones; in winter - gray and black, sometimes with a brown tint. The abdomen is light or white. There are melanistic squirrels with completely black fur and albino squirrels, as well as piebald squirrels whose fur is covered with white spots. Based on the winter color of their tail, squirrels are divided into “red-tailed”, “brown-tailed” and “black-tailed”. In the steppe forests Western Siberia greytail squirrels are also found. The size of squirrels decreases from mountainous to lowland regions, the size of the skull decreases from south to north, and the color becomes lighter towards the center of the range. The black and brown tones of winter fur in the Carpathian, Far Eastern and Manchurian subspecies are replaced by bluish and ash-gray, most pronounced in teledut squirrels. At the same time, the area of ​​the white area of ​​the abdomen increases in the same direction and the percentage of “redtail” increases. The squirrel sheds 2 times a year, with the exception of the tail, which sheds once a year. Spring molting occurs mainly in April-May, and autumn molting occurs from September to November. The timing of molting strongly depends on the food and meteorological conditions of a given year. In good years, molting begins and ends earlier; in bad years, it is greatly delayed and extended. The spring molt goes from the head to the root of the tail; autumn - in reverse order. Adult males begin to molt earlier than females and young of the year. Molting in squirrels, like all other mammals, is caused by a change in length. daylight hours, which affects the activity of the pituitary gland. Thyroid-stimulating hormone secreted by the pituitary gland affects the activity of the thyroid gland, under the influence of which hormone molting occurs.

Squirrel in Russia The common squirrel lives in all forests of the European part of Russia, Siberia and Far East. Around 1923-24 appeared in Kamchatka, where it is now common. In Russia, fossil remains of squirrels have been known since the late Pleistocene. The northern limit of the squirrel's distribution coincides with northern border tall forest: starts in the north-west of Russia near the city of Kola, goes along Kola Peninsula, then from the city of Mezen through Ust-Tsilma and Ust-Usa to the Northern Urals, from the Ural ridge to the middle reaches of the river. Anadyr, and from there to the southwest along the shores of the Sea of ​​Okhotsk and the Sea of ​​Japan to Sakhalin and Korea. The southern border in the west approximately coincides with the southern border of the forest-steppe, but at the southern end of the Ural ridge it sharply turns north to Shadrinsk, then goes through Omsk and northern Kazakhstan (Pavlodar, Semipalatinsk) to the southern Altai. The rest of the southern range belongs to the Mongolia, northeastern China, Korea and Japan. Since the late 1930s. The squirrel has repeatedly settled in the mountains of the Caucasus, Crimea and Tien Shan, in the island forests of Central Kazakhstan, as well as in the Mogilev, Bryansk and Rostov regions.

Nutrition The squirrel's diet is very diverse and includes more than 130 types of food, the bulk of which are seeds of coniferous trees: spruce, pine, cedar, fir, larch. In the southern regions, where oak forests grow with an undergrowth of hazel, it feeds on acorns and hazelnuts. In addition, squirrel consumes mushrooms (especially reindeer truffle), buds and shoots of trees, berries, tubers and rhizomes, lichens, herbaceous plants. Their share in the diet increases markedly when the main feed crop fails. Very often, during a food shortage, the squirrel intensively eats the flower buds of spruce trees, causing damage to these plantings. During the breeding season, it does not disdain animal food - insects and their larvae, eggs, chicks, small vertebrates. After wintering, the squirrel willingly gnaws on the bones of dead animals and visits salt licks. The daily amount of food depends on the season: in the spring, during the rut, the squirrel eats up to 80 g per day, in winter - only 35 g. For the winter, the squirrel makes small reserves of acorns, nuts, cones, dragging them into hollows or burying them among the roots, and also dries them mushrooms, hanging them on branches. True, she quickly forgets about her warehouses and finds them in the winter by accident, which is used by other animals - birds, small rodents, even brown bear. At the same time, the squirrel itself uses the reserves of other animals (chipmunks, nutcrackers, mice), which it easily finds even under a 1.5 m layer of snow.

Reproduction Squirrels are very prolific. In most of the range they produce 1-2 litters, in the southern regions - up to 3. The Yakut squirrel usually has only 1 litter per year. The breeding season, depending on the latitude of the area, food conditions and population density, begins in late January - early March and ends in July-August. During the rut, 3-6 males stay near the female and demonstrate aggression towards competitors - they purr loudly, hit branches with their paws, and run after each other. After mating with the winner, the female builds a brood nest (sometimes 2-3); it's neater and large sizes. Pregnancy lasts 35-38 days, in a litter of 3 to 10 cubs; in the second litter less. Newborn squirrels are naked and blind, weighing about 8 g. They develop hair on the 14th day and begin to see only on the 30-32nd day. From this moment they begin to leave the nest. They are fed with milk for up to 40-50 days. At the age of 8-10 weeks they leave the mother. Sexual maturity is reached at 9-12 months. Having raised the first litter, the female fattens up somewhat and mates again. The interval between litters is about 13 weeks. In October-November, the squirrel population consists of 2/3, and sometimes 75-80%, of young-of-the-year squirrels.