Squirrel Behavior At A Glance
Squirrel behavior seems in many ways to be very predictable. They will sit on a limb and chatter at us if we venture too close to what they consider to be "their" territory (which is usually your yard and those adjacent to it). They will run in front of cars, putting on the brakes as the car is passing over them, make a U-turn, and then get run over as they head back towards the side of the read and safety. Squirrel behavior includes allowing the family dog to chase it up a tree, where it will chatter and fuss, just out of reach, driving the dog into a frenzy. A squirrel may run back and forth across the yard, following the same exact path each time, as if in the midst of working on a special project, which they probably are.
Squirrels can become rather tame, though they seldom will allow you to touch them. If given food, such as peanuts, they will venture quite close. One can even feed them out of one's hand, although that is usually not advisable. Squirrels are quite high strung, and will nip a finger if at all agitated or spooked. If one does that, feed it a caramel the next time.
Those who study squirrel behavior however, have found that the squirrel is quite a decision-making machine, and although it seems at times to be scampering around at random, it seldom does anything without a purpose in mind. They are not only adept at decision making, but many of their actions border on the downright clever. They will for example. pretend to bury and acorn or a nut if they think another squirrel may be watching. Then, they will take the acorn to a location they feel is safe, and bury it there.
All Acorns Are Not Equal - Much of squirrel behavior, aside from making out with other squirrels, is dedicated to preparing for the coming winter, even if it's only spring. Squirrels will usually only store nuts that will store well, eating those that do not store well, and saving the others for the winter. They can even tell on an acorn-by-acorn basis, which acorn is apt to store better than another, and eating those which are not apt to store well first.
In one interesting study of squirrel behavior it was discovered that when a squirrel stored several different types of acorns, the white acorn received special treatment. The squirrel would take a bite out of the white acorn, making it impossible for the acorn to sprout. If it did not do so, the acorn would sprout during storage, and in doing so becoming inedible. Other acorn types do not do this and the squirrel does not feel any need to bite into them.
As far as interacting with humans is concerned, squirrels can become quite friendly towards us if we supply them with food, but other than that seem to tolerate our presence more than anything else. They often appear to watching us more out of curiosity than fear, no doubt feeling their speed and climbing ability can keep them out or our reach, and out of danger.
One facet of squirrel behavior that could stand some improvement is their dealings with automobiles, an area in which they almost always come out second-best. While adept at dodging and even teasing dogs, cats, and humans, the squirrel has not yet learned how to cope with a moving automobile. Another, though lesser known man-produced squirrel predator is the stock tank, the metal or plastic water tank used to water livestock. It is not all that uncommon to find a drowned squirrel occasionally in the water tank, just as one occasionally finds one in a swimming pool. Squirrels are clever little animals but squirrel behavior does have its limitations, especially when nosing around slick vertical surfaces.