Maine-ly Weather

Volume 4

Page 6

Animal Adaptations cont.

(Continued from page 5)

find to the others. 
     A good day of feeding is critical for a chickadee to survive a night of extreme cold.  Flocks of chickadees will spend a day traveling to several well-known food sources.  During the course of a day, you may have several different flocks frequent your feeder.  One of the chickadees favorite foods is the black-oil sunflower seed. 
     Squirrels have a variety of ways to survive our long winters.  The red squirrel spends most of its late summer and fall days in gathering and stashing nuts and cones for the coming winter.  Each squirrel has one prime storehouse location, and several secondary spots, where it stores its gatherings.  The red squirrel is very territorial.  It will chatter and shrill at other squirrels that enter its territory.  This encourages each squirrel to do their own work instead of robbing the collections of other squirrels.  The red squirrel remains active all winter, relying on its stored stash during times of need. This member of the of the squirrel family will possibly sleep for periods of up to a week or two during times when food supplies are low, or if the weather is exceptionally cold.  During the colder months, the red squirrel grows a thicker coat, slightly grayer than their summer coat.  The squirrel will drape its bushy tail up over its back to help preserve heat, and during very cold weather it can be seen holding its paws close into its chest to keep them warm.
 
     The flying squirrel has similar habits to the red squirrel, although unlike the red squirrel, flying squirrels are social animals.  Many people aren't familiar with this charming little creature because they're  nocturnal.  However, flying squirrels can be found in heavily forested locations where tall old-growth trees are present.  The flying squirrel doesn't actually fly by flapping its wings like a bird or a bat.  Instead, it glides among the trees using a blanket-like webbing which extends

from it's wrists to it's ankles.  This webbing is called a patagiuim. Upon landing on a tree trunk, it will quickly scurry up the tree, and then flip downward in a position poised for the next glide.  The flying squirrel is similar in size to the red squirrel but can be distinguished by it's big, dark velvety eyes.  When it's perched, a dark omega-shaped stripe can be seen on the edge of its flying membrane along its side.  Flying squirrels feed together, sometimes in complex family groups.  During the day when they're sleeping, they'll cuddle together to stay warm in groups of several, sometimes up to 20 or more, in a tree cavity.  Flying squirrels are active all year, and are usually busiest about an hour or two after dark and again an hour or two before dawn.  You may be able to attract flying squirrels by placing a platform of sunflower seeds or peanuts in a dimly lit location high among some tall old trees.
     Chipmunks are a variety of ground squirrel which live most of their lives on the ground or underground.  They spend hours in the fall gathering small nuts and seeds,  hoarding them in their cheeks and running them down to an underground den where they'll be stashed for the winter.  Chipmunks maintain a complex underground home consisting of deeply dug tunnels with two or more entrance holes, and a variety of rooms. The different rooms include ones for sleeping, birthing, bathroom, and food storage.  However, chipmunks aren't true hibernators.  Although they sleep for long periods of time during the winter, they wake occasionally to feed on stored food supplies.  Mild and sunny days in a winter thaw will find them briefly above the snow-pack as well.  They don't fully emerge from their burrows  until late March or early April.
     The woodchuck, which is also in the ground squirrel family, is a true hibernator.  Woodchucks spend the summer and fall fattening up on grasses and other plants.  In the late fall, they burrow be

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Flying Squirrels - note the omega shaped stripe that defines its flying membrane.

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