Just as they store food underground for use during the winter, squirrels store fat on their bodies in preparation for the cold. It seems that they're able to remember where their food is by using a technique called " spatial chunking," where they bury similar types of foods in similar places. In the winter, squirrels return to their buried hoards during the day. Rather than keeping it all in one place, they spread it out around their nests this is called " scatter hoarding." They also may pretend to bury something in one place and then actually bury it somewhere else to throw off competitors! Squirrels eat a variety of nuts, seeds, berries, insects, and even bones. Tree squirrels are surprisingly clever about how they store their food for the winter. Throughout the year, a squirrel may have multiple nests and cavity dens to help it evade predators and bad weather. Cavity dens are usually found in hardwood trees where woodpeckers or other animals have left holes. Nests are often built out of twigs, leaves, and moss in tall trees, although a squirrel won't turn down your home's attic to build its nest. Squirrels sleep in nests year-round, but a nest or cavity den is essential for squirrels to stay nice and toasty in the winter. ![]() When the photoperiod begins to shorten in the fall, squirrels take notice. In animals, seasonal changes are tracked by the photo-neuroendocrine system, a sensitive collection of glands, hormones, and neurons that are wired to adjust our internal chemistry as the length of a day changes. So, why don't squirrels hibernate, and how do they survive the winter, especially with the recent polar vortex? A Squirrel's To-Do List It's clear that the strategy of slowing one's metabolism is evolutionarily very successful. Unlike insects in diapause, a hibernating animal periodically becomes active to meet its (reduced) needs for food and water. Hibernation is the long-term version of torpor a hibernating animal slows its heart rate, lowers its body temperature, and reduces non-vital physiological processes. Hummingbirds go into torpor, a state that occurs every night so that the hummingbird can survive in between feedings. Insects have what's called diapause, an extended period of extreme inactivity that can last several years, as in the case of cicadas. ![]() Within the animal kingdom, there are several terms that refer to the slowing of an animal's metabolism.
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