Do squirrels not do well in the rain? I only ask because I’ve never seen a dead squirrel anywhere but the middle of the road after being hit by a car, and I’ve seen two today in my yard.
Death Abstract
UMM QUICK HERE’S A BABY SEA TURTLE!
Jun 12 2012
Backyard Biology: Dead Squirrels
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About the Author
Kate Donovan
Ashley's co-blogger is a third year student at Northwestern University who runs on coffee and snark. . At some point, she'd like to make people sit on couches and tell her about their feelings, but right now she writes in different places around the internet and makes silly faces when she doesn't know what to say. She's the president of her local Secular Student Alliance affiliate, and she is on the Secular Woman speakers bureau. Opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Secular Student Alliance
14 comments
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NewEnglandBob
June 12, 2012 at 5:21 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Don’t you have birds around you? A dead squirrel around here doesn’t last 6 hours due to birds feeding on it.
michaeld
June 12, 2012 at 6:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
POOOOOR squirrels!
!
Jason Thibeault
June 12, 2012 at 8:11 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
What squirrels? All I saw was a BABY SEA TURTLE <3 <3 <3
samoanbiscuit
June 12, 2012 at 10:27 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Look at this turtle’s mouth!
Jason Thibeault
June 12, 2012 at 10:40 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
samoanbiscuit: Leatherbacks are just the Sarlaacs of the sea, which makes them externally adorable, internally AWESOME.
samoanbiscuit
June 12, 2012 at 11:48 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I know right? Watching a bunch of them swim into a lagoon is an awesome sight. Turtles also taste lovely in a soup (green flesh is not for the unadventurous), it’s too bad their numbers have dropped so low they’re protected from hungry pacific islanders. I hope their numbers rise to sustainable levels in my lifetime (so I can have more yummy turtle soup).
Charles Sullivan
June 13, 2012 at 3:53 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
They thrive in Portland, Oregon. Grey Squirrels. They are no match for a crow when it comes to intelligence. Squirrels change their minds about crossing the road when they’re four-fifths (4/5) of the way across before they turn around and run back…
Charles Sullivan
June 13, 2012 at 3:56 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Crows can stand one foot from a moving car and know if it will hit them. or not They jump up on the curb in a flash, and look at you like you’re stupid for almost hitting them.
peicurmudgeon
June 13, 2012 at 10:38 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Not all crows are that smart. My son had one who flew off the centre of teh road right into the side of his motorcycle, immediately killing the bird. Fortunately, my son was able to keep the bike upright, despite the surprise. I guess that means Darwin awards shold be given to animals too.
Where I come from, squirrels sometimes invade homes, expecially the older farm houses with their sandstone foundations. Once inside, they act much like any other rodent and chew and destroy everything. They are then treated the same as any other rodent and trapped and killed. As far as I am concerned, squirrels are just rats with flufy tails.
John Horstman
June 13, 2012 at 5:23 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I had a bird fly into me on my bicycle one time. It was terrifying, though it wasn’t as large as a crow (sparrow-sized, possibly a sparrow). I’ve also run over squirrels on my bike twice, and a rabbit once. It shocks me how bad some animals can be at judging relative movement (granted, people are frequently terrible at this as well, judging by how many drivers cut me off).
RowanVT
June 13, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
There’s a chance that the squirrels got into rat bait of some sort.
Mary Miller
June 13, 2012 at 12:08 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Actually, squirrels are pretty darn smart, If they weren’t, they wouldn’t survive as well as they have.
http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/03/20/survival-of-the-nuttiest-squirrels/7018/
Studies have also shown that when given a rope that crosses above a road, they choose it. (Fragmentation of habitat requires them to cross for food and mating.)
Perhaps it’s just a coincidence you saw them when it rained. Perhaps drivers should go the speed limit.
rork
June 13, 2012 at 1:52 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’ve had mange victims. It’s not swift, and can kill several squirrels around the same time. Their fur starts falling out well before death, and they start acting weak. It happens around this time of year in my (very small, two separate years) experience, about when the young of the year start being able to travel. Looked to me like it took a mom and all of the kids both times. No doubt other diseases work too.
John Horstman
June 13, 2012 at 5:18 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
My cat hunts squirrels (and mice and rabbits – sadly, he has yet to kill the chipmunks inhabiting my porch, but he may soon); perhaps a nearby someone’s mostly-indoor cat escaped, or a nearby someone just got a new/rescued cat.