January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day. A day to acknowledge the role that squirrels play in nature and the environment. It is an unofficial holiday started by North Carolina wildlife rehabilitator Christy McKeown in 2001, as a way to encourage people to put out seeds and nuts for these cute rodents.
Squirrels are found almost
everywhere on Earth. They are native to Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia,
and have been introduced to Australia.
In North America, the western
and eastern grey squirrels are very common. In Europe, the red squirrel is more
common, but its numbers in Great Britain and Ireland are decreasing. The
decrease in the red squirrel population is linked to the introduction of the
eastern grey squirrel from North America. Squirrels can range anywhere from a
few inches to a few feet long. The smallest known squirrel species, the African
pygmy squirrel, are on average only about 3 inches. The largest squirrels, the
Indian giant squirrel, can be as long as 3 feet. A group of squirrels is called
a dray or a scurry, though the term dray or drey usually refers to a squirrel
nest.
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