Interesting Animal Facts

Pandas can sleep anywhere and they usually fall asleep wherever they happen to be.

Squirrels use their tails as umbrellas and parachutes.

A dog’s nose print is as detailed as a human fingerprint and can be used to identify them.

Giraffes only sleep for around 4 and a half hours a night, on average.

Tigers have striped skin underneath their striped fur.

Baby elephants suck on their own trunks, like pacifiers.

Six Interesting Animal Facts

Pandas can sleep anywhere, so they usually fall asleep wherever they happen to be.

Squirrels use their tails as umbrellas and parachutes.

A dog’s nose print is as detailed as a human fingerprint and can be used to identify them.

Giraffes only sleep for about 4 and a half hours a night, on average.

Tigers have striped skin underneath their striped fur.

Baby elephants suck on their own trunks, like pacifiers.

Ms. Pearl the Squirrel

Speaking of nuts, outside of Austin, Texas, off of an uneventful stretch of Highway 71, sits a U-turn worthy site for the squirrel worshiper in us all.

Standing at 14 feet tall, Ms. Pearl beckons passersby from the highway to have their picture taken with her. If you are wondering why she is clutching a pecan, it probably has something to do with the nearby Berdoll Pecan Candy & Gift Company, a family-owned business that includes a gift shop, a pecan orchard, and an adorable squirrel statue.

It was constructed in 2011 by Berdoll, Ms. Pearl received her name from a customer as part of a contest. In 2015, the statue received a facelift. She is available 24 hours a day and while the nearby gift shop has regular business hours, there is a vending machine outside the shop with fresh, full-sized pecan pies replenished daily for late night snacking.

Ten Squirrel Facts

Spring is here and the squirrels are here. Did you know squirrels can leap 10 times their body length? They can turn their ankles 180 degrees to face any direction when climbing. They have good eyesight, and they can learn from copying other animals and humans.

Fifty Six cases of bubonic plague (it is now treatable with antibiotics) and seven deaths were recorded in the US between 2000 and 2009, and squirrels harboring the infected fleas were among the main culprits.

Squirrels are clever, and can learn to navigate numerous obstacles to find the most efficient route to food.

They will find a dead rattlesnake, chew its skin, and then lick themselves. This leaves the squirrels smelling like snakes, and scientists believes this tricks animals into thinking that the squirrels’ burrows are actually home to snakes.

Squirrels store nuts and acorns for winter, because they do not hibernate. Also, because they bury their acorns, squirrels are partially responsible for oak trees in much of the US.

Hungry squirrels have been observed scoring a maple tree’s bark with their teeth, letting the sap leak, and returning to lick it later when it’s dried up.
Squirrels’ tunnels can exceed 9 meters (30 ft) in length.

Results of Groundhog Day 2012

It is official.  Pennsylvania's Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his lair to see his shadow yesterday. Thus we can expect six more weeks of winter.

The groundhog is also called a "woodchuck" and its scientific name is Marmota monax. Marmots are ground squirrels, living in burrows rather than trees. The marmots are related to tree squirrels, and all these animals are classed as rodents. A groundhog is one of the largest varieties of marmot and can weigh over 30 pounds just before going into hibernation.

Births usually occur during May. After four weeks, their eyes open and they begin to explore the outdoors. By August, they establish new burrows.

By the middle of October most groundhogs are hibernating and normally hibernate until about March. They can live up to about six years in the wild. Of course Punxsutawney Phil has been around since 1887.