The squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
Like mice and rats, squirrels are rodents, but thanks to their cute appearance, they have a higher cuddly. Yet they are not as innocent as they look because they have sharp teeth which they can bite firmly. Let the animals so mostly alone: ââthey are wild animals that belong in our nature.
The squirrel species living in Flanders, is also called red squirrel. In the rest of Europe, this is the most common type. He does not appear in southern Spain and some Mediterranean islands. In the UK, the gray squirrel is ever introduced. The latter now has red squirrel driven back to the north of the islands. In parts of Italy displaces the gray squirrel, the red squirrel. The gray squirrel is larger, heavier and less shy than the red squirrel.
You recognize the squirrel:
large bushy tail
ear tufts in the winter
color of the coat can vary from red to brown, sandy, gray or black, with a white belly
4 toes on the front and five on the hind legs, with sharp nails to climb well
lower jaw halves that can move independently from each other, so they can easily crack open nuts
His big bushy tail squirrel used to give signals. If he feels threatened or insecure, he is waving and undulating movements with his tail. He also used to keep the balance when jumping and to regulate his body temperature.
Big eater
Squirrels live in both coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, parks and gardens. In autumn and winter squirrels eat mainly seeds of trees, hazelnuts, beechnuts, chestnuts, seeds of pine, spruce and lorkenappels, ... He is a big eater: he can the seeds of more than 100 pine cones a day eat! Squirrels make the greatest possible supply of winter, each time burying the seeds alone or with several together in a shallow well. The 'wintervoorraadjes' be found on smell, but often overlooked or not found.
In spring, when the trees lose their seeds, squirrels switch to previously constructed food stocks and buds and shoots and galls and later flowers of trees, berries, insects, worms, fungi and occasionally even a bird egg or young bird. From July, the proportion of seeds in their diet increased again. The squirrel is often labeled as a "notorious nest robbers, but the proportion of eggs in his diet is so small that the impact on bird populations is negligible.
No hibernation
Contrary to what many people think, keep squirrels do not hibernate. They will be less long active in the winter to lose too much energy: especially in the morning and early afternoon dives on them. By prolonged cold squirrels stay sometimes several days in their nest. The rest of the year they are active from dawn to dusk.
Squirrels use a half years about 12 nests. This involves both resting and sleeping nests. They make their nest in a natural tree cavity or an abandoned spechtenhol or build yourself a sphere nest of branches with leaves or needles, lined with stripped bark, moss, ferns, grass, ... There is a solidly built main nest often and longer used (eg during the winter and as a maternity nest).
Different fathers
Squirrels have two distinct reproductive peaks in January and in May-June During mating, the female 2-4 males are chasing. The most dominant male - or the male that can last the longest - may eventually pairs. Sometimes the dominant male can a week in advance to sleep with the female, but after mating both partners go their separate ways again. Females also mate with multiple males sometimes. Genetic research has shown already that boy from the same litter can have. Different fathers sometimes
After a gestation period of 36-42 days (ie from early February), 2-6 young are born. The reproductive success is greatest in large, heavy females with nutrient-rich habitats and favorable food and weather conditions. At the age of 8 weeks the boy first come out, and at 3 months the mother chases them away and they have to go searching. Private residential At 9-10 months, the boy sexually mature.
Many enemies
Squirrels are hunted by various birds of prey, the hawk probably has the greatest impact. Also captures the hawk and buzzard even the squirrels. Crows sometimes rob young squirrels out of the nest. Besides raptors mustelids are important predators. Many squirrels in the spring, when they forage on the ground, caught by a polecat. Also weasels, stoats and martens rob nests and even kill adult squirrels. Even foxes already put a squirrel on the menu. In gardens, young squirrels often slain by dogs or cats. In addition, also the traffic a major killer, especially around small bushes, where the squirrels have to cross to the surrounding gardens to gather enough food. Almost daily road
Because the squirrel with us not in high quantities, usually does not cause stripping bark and bark and eating buds and shoots for major damage to trees and shrubs. Be able squirrels in gardens full stock hazelnuts or walnuts eat. Fortunately, most people do not mind.
Squirrels are often accused of sabotage. The natural regeneration of forests However, it is very unlikely that the squirrels eat all the seeds. She has buried seeds indeed a positive effect on the germination and spread of the species, because the squirrels certainly not find all the seeds from their winter stock.
Lover of large forests
Between 1960 and 1970 plunged the population of the red squirrel in Western Europe in a disease. The population has since largely recovered. The probability of the presence of red squirrels is always very high in large forests, independent of the nutrient. However, in small forest quality is very important. The likelihood of their presence also decreases strongly with increasing isolation of the forest. As a result, the provinces of Antwerp and Limburg North, with their large coniferous forests, the most suitable for red squirrels. In South Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders (except the northern forest belt of East Flanders and the great forests to the east and southeast of the Brussels Region) knows the red squirrel a low presence, by the very humid or low quality forests (eg . poplar). In West Flanders, a province with very few forests, red squirrels are only for local, mainly in the area of ââBruges. In the woods of southern West Flanders there are sporadic sightings of red squirrel.