If you ask us, squirrels are pretty underrated. Every time we see a squirrel online, it’s pulling off some sort of death-defying stunt, or else making a complete idiot of itself in plain view of its garden friends.
Lots of people see squirrels as flurry-tailed rodents, and they get a bad name for stealing birdseed (really, who can blame them? We’d all be lazy if we were squirrels too). But in reality, squirrels can be dopey, funny, skilful, quick-witted, and really quite cute. If you need proof of this, read on.
1. They don’t easily give up
If you have a bird feeder in your back yard, you’re probably familiar with some of the gymastic tricks the squirrels will perform to try and get into the nuts and seeds. From standing upside down to bending over backwards, standing in the splits and leaping incredible distances, a squirrel will do anything he can to retrieve the tasty stuff.
The majority of baby animals are unfortunately ugly, and spend the majority of their youngest years pink, hairless and helpless. Baby squirrels, on the other hand, look like adorable balls of fluff with teeny tiny tails and innocent round eyes. They generally start exploring outside their mama’s nest aged around 6 weeks, so you’re actually in with a good chance of spotting them.
Some squirrels are cooler than others – that’s a fact. Take flying squirrels, for instance, which use their mini under-armpit “parachutes” to glide from one tree to another. They can’t quite take off in flight like birds, but there’s no denying that this would be a pretty impressive quality to have.
This person was lucky enough to have a squirrel nest right on their fourth-floor windowsill. Those little dudes look much comfier than you’d expect, considering they’re lying on a bed of sticks and leaves. Obviously squirrels are blessed with the same nest-making abilities as birds.
Because squirrels have an unfortunate habit of burying their nuts and then forgetting about them, they’re actually playing a huge role in the spreading of the oak trees. Their unintentional planting of a seed allows for the growth of a healthy tree. It’s thought that squirrels only recover around 70 percent of their buried nut stash, which is a bit rubbish for them after so much hard work!
Squirrels take on a full-on roly poly shape when they’re pregnant. In fact, this person spotted a squirrel that looks a lot like us after so many months of quarantine. Of course, you should never assume someone is pregnant unless you’re completely sure. She might have just got her paws on a fantastic supply of nuts for all we know.
You might commonly catch your local squirrels racing around your garden like they’re on an incredibly important mission, but they take plenty of time to rest, too. This squirrel is a Monday mood. He looks like us returning to work at 8am with bleary eyes and an inability to manage even a “good morning”.
There’s something very amusing about a squirrel superhero, and there’s a sniff of a best-selling comic in the idea. Photographers who catch squirrels in action regularly snap them making all sorts of well-known superhero poses, though we’re not sure how intentional they are. Are they aware of the camera across the garden, or are they simply landing from a jump? No-one will ever know for sure.
You wouldn’t think a squirrel was capable of anything too impressive, but their athletic ability surpasses ours in many ways. Squirrels can run at speeds of up to 20 miles per hour. They can also jump up to 20 feet high – 20 feet! They use their padded paws and parachute-like tails to soften the landing.
We’re so used to seeing our standard neighborhood squirrels that we’re astounded whenever we come across a squirrel from a different region. When you think about it, all squirrels are uniquely beautiful, with their own markings and colors. This Indian Giant squirrel is particularly colorful to look at.
If you’ve ever wondered how a squirrel communicates, it’s usually by making noises, such as “barking” or “quacking”. But they can also communicate with their tails. A twitching squirrel’s tail signifies a potential threat. Who knew that they actually had some use to them?
Nobody likes to see an animal in distress, which is why this guy, known only as Adam821, is such a hero for saving a trio of squirrels that had found themselves in a spot of trouble. Somehow, the squirrels had managed to glue themselves together by their tails after trying to make a nest out of insulation, tree sap and dryer lint. Adam unstuck the squirrels while they waited patiently for him to get the job done. They were probably feeling pretty embarrassed by this point.
A squirrel’s nest is called a drey. They’re commonly found in the forks of tall trees, like birds’ nests, and are made out of leaves, twigs, bark, grass, and any other material a squirrel can get her paws on. Sometimes, squirrels nest inside trees for extra warmth, comfort and safety.
If you thought there was nothing cuter than a squirrel alone, you’d be wrong. Hands-down the sweetest thing is when a squirrel and an elderly person get together. This old lady has made a miniature marionette of herself that’s the prefect size for feeding squirrels face-to-face. Apparently she’s seen in a particular park quite frequently, along with the man who made the marionette for her.
Squirrels have four front teeth, which grow continuously throughout their lives. This means that squirrels can bite and chew away at nuts without having to worry about wearing down their gnashers – if they get chipped or worn, they’re guaranteed to grow back.
There’s nothing more astonishing than catching sight of an albino animal. Albinism in animals causes fur, feathers or scales to turn a pure, snowy white, and results from a lack of melanin in the skin. This albino squirrel looks like something out of a fairy tale, though he probably finds it a lot more difficult to blend in than his peers!
Squirrels are a common animal to feature in children’s story books. Hundreds of squirrel characters have been thought up over the years, but perhaps the most famous of them all is “The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin” by Beatrix Potter. We can see why they make such popular choices for authors and illustrators – there’s something very fantastical about them.
There are some people who love squirrels so much that they spend hours of their time making little squirrel-friendly areas for them to rest and eat. This person made a full squirrel bar, complete with a stash of nuts, a tiny set of stairs, a sign reading “have a nut”, and fairy lights. Of course it attracted squirrels, and now the proud bar owner gets to watch their guests come and go throughout the day.
Us humans would hate the idea of spending a snowy winter outdoors. For many squirrels, however, surviving a cold winter is a normal part of life. There are even arctic squirrels that are particularly suited to the cold. These squirrels dig underground burrows to sleep in – for 8 whole months. At least that’d make winter pass by a lot faster – they’re out cold for the whole season.
If you have a cat or a dog, you’ll know that it’s not unusual for animals to go crazy in the sun. Having a bit of heat on their faces seems to addle their brains, and the next minute, they’re either rolling around like mad things, or flat out on their backs, fast asleep. This person’s rehabbing squirrel fell into the second category. We feel him – there’s nothing more soothing than the sun’s rays.
If you get in a squirrel’s way, you’ll know about it. Some squirrels have been known to put up a good fight with animals much bigger than them to defend their territory. You wouldn’t think it, but squirrels are the wrong animal to mess with. Of course, they’re harmless when unprovoked.
We’d like to think that when squirrels don’t get their own way, they mirror humans by folding their arms defiantly. This sulky squirrel looks a lot like he has discovered something very annoying, like someone put a cover over the bird feeder to prevent him from being able to eat from it. He’s definitely wearing a “denied of food” expression.
We can relate to squirrels in many ways, and this is one of them. Squirrels love to eat – we know that already – and it seems they’re not afraid of eating something as big as their face. This squirrel seems to be having a great time munching on a ginormous nut. We can only hope he saves some for later.
Like many animals, if you bring a squirrel up from babyhood, they’re likely to be as tame and friendly as anything. Of course, you should never actively try and steal a baby from his mom, but this guy rescued a couple of abandoned babies from his garden, and just look at them now! They clearly love him, whether that’s for his cosy pockets, or because he saved their lives.
Squirrels don’t always keep themselves to themselves. This person snapped a sociable squirrel giving her the puppy dog eyes while she was out walking her actual dog. The dog was apparently oblivious to their friendly visitor. Our guess is he’s after food.
This woman managed to snap a selfie with her squirrel friend, and he looks more than a little bit shocked. He’s probably never seen a clear reflection of himself before, so this photo has caught him right in the throes of a very large realization. It looks like he even dropped his nut in shock.
Did anyone else used to get really excited about holes in trees when they were kids? Well, if you’ve ever wondered what’s in them, you’ll probably find a whole load of insects, and, if you’re lucky, an animal or two. This person discovered that a family of squirrels had moved into their back yard’s tree. Their adorable faces peeping out are just too much.
As we’ve already mentioned, you should never snatch a baby squirrel with the intentions of raising him as a pet, as squirrels fare much better in the wild. But rescued squirrels can show the same love and affection as any other standard pet. This little guy cuddling up to his human dad’s arm is beyond adorable. There’s clearly a lot of trust between the pair.
Squirrels have a cute, human-like way of eating food. This squirrel is taking advantage of a teeny picnic table to rest his legs and enjoy a snack. Looks like he could do with a few dinner companions – though we wouldn’t put it past him to eat all four bowls of nuts on the table, greedy squirrel style. We love the tiny vase with the dandelions.
This person rescued an injured baby squirrel, and our hearts are melting. Nobody could possibly resist those adorable little eyes and tiny ears. According to his owner, he became surprisingly tame, and even enjoyed having “play fights” with peoples’ hands, just as a kitten would do. He also liked to take naps in peoples’ pockets. Adorable.
This baby squirrel look like she’s a little drunk off milk, bless her. She clearly needs a good nap after such a big feast. According to her human mom, since moving onto solid foods, she’s now a fan of McDonald’s French fries. Just look at her chubby little belly!
We’re very glad we’re not wild animals, for the one fact that we couldn’t deal with having to scavenge for food every day and guard our stash from thieves. This squirrel is obviously very resourceful, and it’s perhaps also fair to say that he’s a little possessive of his own food stash. He’s managed to fill a whole sign full of nuts to last him over winter. Hopefully he doesn’t forget he’s put them there – that would be a lot of hard work for nothing.
You’ll find squirrels pretty much anywhere – even in the Grand Canyon. This person was trying to take a photo of their ice cream in front of the stunning view when they were photobombed by a squirrel. They ended up catching a once-in-a-lifetime shot. We wonder if she offered the squirrel any of her ice cream for being such a good poser?
Look, sometimes a squirrel’s gotta eat, and when the conventional nuts aren’t available, they have no problem turning to human food. This squirrel looks like all his christmasses have come at once as he struggles to eat from a pizza slice that’s the same size as his body. Hopefully he didn’t eat that all in one go, or he would have looked as chunky as the pregnant squirrel from slide 6.
We’re not sure that squirrels exactly spend a lot of time on their appearance, which makes it even more annoying that most of them look better put-together than we are. This majestic dude is a German squirrel called Yochen. He’s the outdoor pet of the photographer’s sister-in-law, and often stops by for nuts. What a handsome little fella.
This little squirrel is called Thumbelina, and it’s easy to see how she got that name as a tiny baby. The little bub came into the world in pretty dramatic circumstances, too – her mom’s nest was destroyed by construction, and she ended up crawling into a 10th story window and giving birth on a stranger’s bed. Mom then didn’t want to take her babies back out into the wild, and Thumbelina’s sister passed away, but Thumbelina grew up to be happy and healthy.
Who said squirrels didn’t have a sense of humor? This guy knows exactly what he’s doing, messing with this person’s cats while they’re stuck inside. Still, he probably gave them a purpose for a minute or two, and their pet mom probably got the most entertainment they’ve had from lockdown so far. Hopefully he’s not so cheeky when the cats are outdoors.
When someone filled a tiny teacup full of nuts for this squirrel, he was happy enough to take a civilized sip from the cup. There’s even a little matching saucer for added effect. Who’s betting that this took place somewhere in the UK?
In case you didn’t know, when you feed a squirrel as a “one off”, you’re actually making a sworn oath to feed him for the rest of his life. This person discovered a squirrel waiting patiently at her front door after feeding him on a regular basis. They do become quite dependant on us, which isn’t always advantageous to squirrelkind.
When this person’s dogs came across an abandoned baby squirrel, she didn’t hesitate to adopt the squirrel as her own. Instead of there being a jealous hostility between her dogs and the squirrel, they all got along like a house on fire. The three are now the best of friends. This shows just how much an animal’s upbringing can affect their behaviors towards their animal peers.
One of the simplest ways for a squirrel to obtain food is to literally beg for it. Did we mention just how clever squirrels are? They know that nobody can resist a pair of pleading eyes and clasped paws. This squirrel probably gets the biggest stash of human food simply by looking all cute and vulnerable at his local park. Very calculated indeed.
Yet again, we see a squirrel using his cuteness to his advantage. This albino squirrel, obviously sensing that he has a uniqueness that makes him irresistible to humans, often begs for food at this person’s back door. There’s something very clever about making yourself look as sweet and vulnerable as possible to get your paws on the good stuff. Of course, we’d be feeding him too.
Squirrels are a lot more curious than they may seem. This guy found an Easter egg, and it looks like he’s trying to figure out whether it’s a nut or not. It’s quite common for squirrels to go for chocolate, so the initial disappointment of discovering this was a candy egg was probably soon replaced by jubilation.
This guy didn’t choose his pet squirrel – his squirrel chose him. Apparently, the day after Hurricane Irma, a baby squirrel ran over to him, launched itself into his hands, and promptly passed out. He’d obviously been through a lot and knew that a human would take good care of him. Whether the two ended up as lifelong friends remains a mystery.
This mamma squirrel made a nest for her baby in a cupboard belonging to her rescuer. She gave birth to a cute little girl, and the two are now inseparable. Mom has to live inside due to health reasons, and her little one is always close by her side. The two live a life of love and happiness with their human mom.
This person has taken to feeding his local squirrel almonds, who he has named Judy. Just look at her happy little smile! She’s definitely playing up to the camera, and let’s face it, it’s obviously working. Nobody could resist feeding a squirrel as fluffy and cute as this one.
It must be so much easier being a squirrel. They don’t have turf wars, and nor do they care if a squirrel of another breed, species or color hangs out with them. They’re just happy for the company, like these two squirrels pictured on a bench. Good for them, though – they’re still remembering to social distance.
Squirrels who live in big cities have it the hardest. While there are more people around to drop their food scraps on the floor, there are also more animals to fight for these scraps. This New York squirrel has taken to lurking on park benches and tapping people on the shoulder to ask politely for their food. The hustle is real.
This ingenious squirrel had found a hiding place for his nuts that he probably thought no other squirrel would be able to get his hands on. The major flaw with this plan was only revealed when the owners of this grill went to start it up for the first time in a while, only to discover the secret stash. Honestly, the nicest solution here would simply be to buy another grill.
When you actively start looking out for squirrels, you’ll notice that each of them is entirely unique in their markings. This person, however, spotted a squirrel that looks a lot different from the rest. In fact, if you squint a bit, it looks like he’s wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt and pants. The likelihood is that he’s got a mutated chromosome, which has given him a unique back spot that sets him apart from his friends.
As we’ve already established, squirrels are more than happy to go along with our quirky ideas if it means they get the odd nut or two out of it. This man went viral a couple of months ago when he used his free time during lockdown to craft little picnic tables for his back yard’s squirrel visitors. The idea took off so much that the man was able to make a business out of his idea, and his Etsy store sold out immediately.
There’s no better feeling than getting a cuddle from an animal. This tiny baby squirrel might only be big enough to cuddle this woman’s finger, but we bet she still felt the love. In this case, the squirrel’s mom wasn’t in the picture, so it looks like he adopted his human mom to take over the job instead. Definitely not something to complain about!
We have to say, this squirrel sunbathing on someone’s picnic table looks very similar to the human sunbathers you see on deckchairs at the beach. By the looks of things, this little dude is getting fed well by someone. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, as they say.
Many people think that animals have a sixth sense that helps them to know when us humans aren’t feeling our best. We’ve heard of dogs alerting owners to a hidden illness, and cats cuddling up to people who are feeling low, but caring squirrels is a new one. Still, this person’s story is proof that squirrels do care. He was stuck in hospital and noticed that this little guy and his friends would stop by the window to check up on them every day. Cute.
Here’s another example of when you manage to snap a squirrel at just the right time. We can’t work out whether this squirrel wants a hi-five, is about to start the “Nae Nae”, or is a tiny hitchhiker looking for a lift. Either way. he looks pretty hilarious with his paw up in the air.
By the looks of things, this squirrel was the inspiration behind the dip-dye blonde hair trend that was so popular a few years back. He’s got an all-brown body that slowly merges into blonde towards his feet, with the yellow tail that belongs on a golden retriever. Apparently red-tailed squirrels exist too.
Not all squirrels use their cuteness to get what they want. This squirrel likes to earn his nuts, to he brings little “gifts” of dried leaves to his human provider so that she’ll trade them for nuts. Something says he’d probably still get fed without the leaf-to-nuts trade off, if his adorable wispy ears and tail are anything to go by.
We’ll stop sharing pictures of squirrel babies when you stop saying “aww!”. This guy found a baby Indian Palm squirrel, and it does, in fact, fit in the palm of his hand. We don’t know what’s cuter, his tiny bottlebrush tail or the way he’s snuggled up under this guy’s fingers, looking as happy and content as anything.
If we haven’t already mentioned just how beautiful some squirrels are, here’s another photo for proof. This pretty girl was captured in Brevard, NC. Someone mentioned that she looks like the negative of a skunk, which, in terms of her markings, is actually quite accurate. But she’s hopefully a lot more innocent in her behavior than a skunk.
Just like us, squirrels can sometimes have their less than elegant moments. This squirrel seems to have fallen from a roof, splatted on the floor, then casually walked off (hopefully with only a wounded pride). Sadly for him, his little mishap has been printed into the snow for everyone to see.
60 Photos that help us remember just how amazing squirrels really are
Laura Shallcross
07.15.20
If you ask us, squirrels are pretty underrated. Every time we see a squirrel online, it’s pulling off some sort of death-defying stunt, or else making a complete idiot of itself in plain view of its garden friends.
Lots of people see squirrels as flurry-tailed rodents, and they get a bad name for stealing birdseed (really, who can blame them? We’d all be lazy if we were squirrels too). But in reality, squirrels can be dopey, funny, skilful, quick-witted, and really quite cute. If you need proof of this, read on.
