Kevin Raymond, age 8, of West Greenwich, R.I., for his question:
HOW OLD IS A BABY SQUIRREL WHEN HE LEAVES HIS MOTHER?
Because of his chisel like front teeth, the squirrel is classified in the rodent family. There are more than 300 different kinds of squirrels, and they range in size from the half ounce, three inch long African pygmy squirrel to the 20 pound, 30 inch long marmot squirrel. Squirrels are found in every country on earth except in Australia, Madagascar and lower South Africa.
Two Greek words that mean shadow tail were combined to give us the word squirrel. At first the word was probably used only for the tree squirrel, the common bushy tailed animal that curls his tail up over his back in a way that seems to keep him in the shade. But now the whole family uses the same name.
Mother squirrel keeps her unborn babies in her body for 36 to 45 days before birth. She will usually have babies two times each year, and between two and six little ones arrive each time. The babies are born without fur and with their eyes closed.
Baby red squirrels and also the flying squirrels may not open their eyes for 26 to 28 days after birth, while the gray squirrel may take as long as 37 days to be able to see.
Once the squirrel's eyes are open, growth and an ability to get on in the big world come quickly. By the time the squirrel is between 5 and 8 weeks old, he is ready to leave his mother and go out on his own. He's then able to gather his own food and to protect himself from trouble.
When the squirrel reaches his first birthday he is ready to start his own family.
Squirrels may live for two to six years in the wild, although they've lived up to 15 years in zoos. Man is his greatest enemy although they also meet trouble from bobcats, cats, coyotes, foxes and dogs.
Most tree squirrels have two homes: a permanent one is a den in the hollow of a tree trunk or a sturdy nest built on a branch, while a temporary nest is a loose pile of twigs and leaves high in a tree. The permanent home is made of layers of twigs and leaves packed tightly together to keep out wind, snow and rain.
Squirrel eats seeds, mushrooms, nuts, berries, corn and fruits. Much of his time is spent looking for food. In autumn, especially, he gathers food and hides it in his den so that he'll have a winter supply. Food is also stored in holes in the ground or in trees.
Red squirrels cut and store pine cones for food. One squirrel may cut as many as 100 cones in an hour. He will then leave the tree, gather his cones and hide them. He will usually choose a hollow in a tree stump as the storage place, although often he just makes a pile of cones near a stone or log and then covers the stack with leaves. One red squirrel may stack up as many as 10 bushels of cones during one autumn season.