When it comes time to eat, they forage for the nuts they buried. Squirrels are known to crack open a nut before burying it, to keep it from germinating. And rather than leaving their goods aboveground where other squirrels can steal them, they bury them - this is called "caching" - about an inch (2.5 centimeters) under the soil. That's usually close to the tree holding their nest or den, but they often expand into areas of 7 acres (2.8 hectares). Second, Eastern gray and Eastern fox squirrels are "scatter hoarders," which means pretty much what it sounds like - they hoard their food, and scatter it in locations where they can easily access it. That's why they're so busy in the fall, when Mother Nature has made sure that all the acorns have fallen from the trees. Some of that stuff they eat right away the rest they take to the nest or den for later.īut when winter approaches, squirrels are faced with a challenge: They know instinctively that food sources will soon be scarce, so they gather all the food they'll need, while also keeping themselves fed day to day. First, it's important to know that both the Eastern gray and Eastern fox squirrels dine on a varying menu of seeds, nuts, acorns, tree buds, berries, leaves, parts of pinecones, and other food some of us don't like to think about (bird eggs and nestlings), as well as the occasional slice of found pizza. When they are hungry later, it is theorized, they can remember where to find what they want.īut let's back up a little. In fact, the process by which tree squirrels keep themselves fed during the winter is a bit more complex and active than stocking the ol' "pantry" at home, and researchers are learning that it suggests some advanced memory skills.Ī study - from professors in the Department of Psychology at University of California at Berkeley, and published in the September 2017 issue of the journal Royal Society of Open Science - claims that tree squirrels use a mnemonic technique called "spatial chunking" to sort out and bury their nut scores by size, type, and perhaps nutritional value and taste. Another misconception: Tree squirrels store their food - tree fruit, like acorns - in their nests or dens to snack on all winter.
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