Mammals Tour

UW Campus
5/31/12
Day, 2012
1:30-2:30

On the mammals tour we learned about a whole bunch of squirrels. The mammals group started off with a really cute video of squirrels they had seen on campus that introduced to the dominating Eastern Grey squirrel. The Eastern Grey squirrels, while smaller than Western Grey squirrels, have been able to drive out the western greys and claim the campus for themselves. I think they said this began soon after they were introduced around 1925. Being a very territorial species, it is interesting that squirrels don’t really fight each other for their territories. There has been research showing that all they do is sort of bark at each other but don’t attack. That is one of the reasons why they think the eastern grey have been so successful, because they can just outnumber the western greys.

Something I definitely did not know about squirrels is that they make nests. These nests are for their young and also to just sleep in. I found this very interesting because there are so many squirrels all over the city and I don’t think I’ve seen one of their nests.

Squirrels have a very light skeleton which makes it easier for them to make fast, sudden movements and also to jump and hang from place to place. They also have ankle joints that can bend backwards so their feet are facing the opposite direction. This is why they are so good at hanging and climbing in very odd positions.

Species List:
Eastern Grey Squirrel
Western Grey Squirrel
Yellow Bely Marmot
Douglas’ Squirrel
Columbian Ground Squirrel
Antelope Ground Squirrel
Yellow Pine Chipmunk
Pine Squirrel
American Red Squirrel

Posted on June 5, 2012 06:28 AM by lisad22