Squirrels : The Animal Answer Guide.

Intro -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1 Introducing Squirrels -- What are squirrels? -- How many kinds of squirrels are there? -- Where do squirrels live? -- Why are there no flying or ground squirrels in South America? -- How are squirrels classified? -- What is the current classification of squirrels? -- What characterizes the major groups of squirrels? -- When did squirrels evolve? -- What is the oldest fossil squirrel? -- 2 Form and Function -- What are the largest and smallest squirrels? -- How fast does a squirrel's heart beat? -- Can squirrels see color? -- Do all squirrels have cheek pouches? -- Can squirrels swim? -- How far can squirrels jump? -- Do squirrels fly? -- What are the largest and smallest flying squirrels? -- How do you make a flying squirrel? -- How far can flying squirrels glide? -- How can you determine whether a fossil squirrel was a tree squirrel, a flying squirrel, or a ground squirrel? -- 3 Coat Color and Squirrel Genetics -- What species are the black squirrels I see? -- What species is the red squirrel? -- What causes the different coat colors of squirrels? -- How are hair colors determined genetically? -- What about patterns of coat color? -- Are there age-related differences in coat color? -- Are there seasonal differences in coat color? -- Is there much geographic variation in squirrel species? -- 4 Squirrel Behavior -- Are squirrels social? -- Do squirrels fight? -- How smart are squirrels? -- Do squirrels play? -- Do squirrels talk? -- How do squirrels avoid predators? -- 5 Squirrel Ecology -- Where do squirrels sleep? -- Do squirrels migrate? -- How many squirrel species coexist in a forest? -- Why are there so many more species of squirrels in African and Asian forests? -- How do squirrels survive in the desert? -- How do squirrels survive the winter? -- What is hibernation?.

Do squirrels have enemies? -- Why do squirrels commit infanticide? -- Do squirrels get sick? -- How do squirrels influence vegetation? -- 6 Reproduction and Development -- How do squirrels reproduce? -- How long are female squirrels pregnant? -- Where do mother squirrels give birth? -- How many babies do squirrels have? -- Are all littermates equally related? -- How long do female squirrels nurse their young? -- How fast do squirrels grow? -- How long do squirrels live? -- 7 Foods and Feeding -- What do squirrels eat? -- How do squirrels open hard nuts? -- Do all squirrels bury their food? -- How does the squirrel decide what food to store? -- How do squirrels find the food they have buried? -- 8 Squirrels and Humans -- Do squirrels make good pets? -- Should people feed squirrels? -- Do squirrels feel pain? -- What do I do if I find an injured or orphaned squirrel? -- How can I become a better observer of squirrels? -- How do I know whether I have flying squirrels in my backyard? -- Why are squirrels important? -- 9 Squirrel Problems (from a human viewpoint) -- Are squirrels pests? -- How do I keep squirrels away from my . . . ? -- Are squirrels vectors of human disease? -- 10 Human Problems (from a squirrel's viewpoint) -- Are squirrels endangered? -- Will squirrels be affected by global warming? -- Are squirrels ever invasive species? -- Do people hunt and eat squirrels? -- Are squirrel-hair brushes actually made of squirrel hair? -- Why do so many squirrels get hit by cars? -- 11 Squirrels in Stories and Literature -- What roles do squirrels play in religion and mythology? -- What do squirrels have to do with the Cinderella story? -- What roles do squirrels play in popular culture? -- How are squirrels incorporated into poetry? -- How are squirrels incorporated into literature? -- 12 "Squirrelology" -- Which species are best known?.

Which species are least known? -- How do scientists recognize individual squirrels? -- Appendix: Squirrels of the World -- Bibliography -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- X -- Y -- Z.

With over one hundred photographs and an intuitive question-and-answer format, this authoritative and engaging guide sheds light on a common mammal that is anything but commonplace.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.