Abert's Squirrel: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Squirrels and Marmots · day 6 of 7

Five facts

1. Also called the tassel-eared squirrel, it is easy to recognise by the tufts of fur rising from its ears.
2. In the United States it relies almost entirely on one tree, the ponderosa pine, for shelter, nests and food.
3. Unlike other North American squirrels, it does not hide food for later. It finds what it needs day by day.
4. In summer one squirrel may eat seeds from up to 75 cones a day. In winter it peels about 45 twigs a day for their soft inner bark.
5. On Arizona's Kaibab Plateau lives a special form, the Kaibab squirrel, with a black belly and a bright white tail.

The quiz

1. What gives Abert's squirrel its nickname, the tassel-eared squirrel?

• Its striped tail
• Long tufts on its ears (correct)
• Its very large ears
• A tuft on its chin

Tufts of fur stand up 2 to 3 cm from each ear.

2. Which tree does it depend on in the United States?

• The oak
• The palm tree
• The birch
• The ponderosa pine (correct)

It uses ponderosa pine almost exclusively for cover, nesting and food.

3. How is it different from other North American squirrels?

• It does not store food (correct)
• It hibernates all winter
• It lives underground
• It eats only insects

Other squirrels of North America keep food stores, but this one does not.

4. What does it mostly eat in winter?

• Fish
• The soft inner bark of twigs (correct)
• Frozen berries only
• Nothing, it sleeps

After the seeds fall, inner bark makes up most of its diet from November to April.

5. What does the Kaibab squirrel look like?

• All red with a black tail
• Grey with a striped face
• Black belly and white tail (correct)
• White all over

On the Kaibab Plateau these squirrels have a dark belly and a bright white tail.

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