Buzz
Squirrels inspire charming cartoons and cuddly toys. But the real-life creatures do much more: they glow pink, cause flight delays, and even get arrested. They collect mysteries like they collect nuts; squirrel breeders are now dealing with a new virus, and there was that mysterious purple creature no one could explain. Once, a dead squirrel was bought as artwork, and the Prince of Wales plans to battle them with a sandwich spread.
10. The Home Wrecker
In 2014, a magistrate in Hartlepool awoke to strange noises in her home. The alarm was blaring, and 64-year-old Margaret Bousfield feared the worst. But instead of a burglar, she discovered a squirrel. Covered in soot, it seemed to have entered through the chimney. The squirrel was eager to escape, having caused a mess of sofas, carpets, curtains, and window frames in its desperate bid for freedom. By the time Margaret arrived, the damage was done, leaving the home with a bill of over £7,000 for repairs. The insurance company had a rough day, but they covered the cost.
9. They Learn Safety Tactics from Birds
Birds tend to go into a frenzy when they spot a predator. Other prey animals, such as squirrels, have learned to hide when they hear an alarmed bird, even if they can't pinpoint where the danger is coming from. This behavior isn’t new. In 2019, researchers wondered if the situation could be flipped. Do squirrels rely on birds to signal when it’s safe to come out again? To investigate, scientists toured parks in Ohio, searching for the perfect test subjects—eastern gray squirrels. Around 54 of them were chosen to listen to recordings of a red-tailed hawk, a predator that’s partial to squirrel pie. After the hawk’s cry, the squirrels were exposed to either background noise or casual chatter from songbirds. Importantly, “all clear” calls were excluded from the study. After the audio segment, each squirrel’s body language was observed for three minutes. The results were clear. Squirrels that heard the birds chatting came out of hiding sooner after the hawk's cry.
8. New York Squirrels Are Tough
In 2014, a study examined how urban squirrels had adapted to life in the city. While their rural relatives dart for cover at the sight of humans, viewing them as predators, city squirrels behave differently. The research found that city squirrels, particularly those in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, acted much like New Yorkers. In a city of 8 million, residents become adept at avoiding others, even in crowded spots like the sidewalk or subway. Similarly, the squirrels showed indifference toward most humans, no longer seeing them as true threats. Despite their fearlessness, the squirrels didn’t appreciate being stared at. This and other minor signs of threat would send them running. Adapting to live alongside humans while knowing when to keep their distance is vital for urban survival, and the New York squirrels had mastered it.
7. The Squirrel Breeder Deaths
Brain inflammation (encephalitis) can occur for many reasons. However, when three men from Germany died of acute encephalitis between 2011 and 2013, none of the usual causes were detected. These men had one thing in common—they all bred a rare species of squirrel from Latin America. Although they lived in different regions, they would meet to trade these variegated squirrels (Sciurus variegatoides). What started as a hobby turned deadly. All three men showed symptoms of brain inflammation, slipped into comas, and eventually passed away. Doctors were baffled by the unusual causes until further tests revealed that the men were infected with a virus from the borna virus cluster, a family of pathogens known to jump between species. It wasn’t until the squirrel breeding hobby came to light that the connection was made, and one squirrel tested positive for VSBV-1, the virus found in the victims’ brains. The origins of the virus remain a mystery, as does how the animals and humans were infected.
6. Nutella as Birth Control
It sounds like an outlandish tale. Did you hear that Prince Charles wants to use Nutella to contracept squirrels? It's true. The royal, a huge fan of the red squirrel, even expressed a desire to have one as a pet. Unfortunately, these charming creatures are on the brink of extinction due to competition from another squirrel species. About 140 years ago, the Eastern Gray squirrel from North America arrived in the British Isles, bringing with it a deadly disease (Parapoxvirus) that decimated the native squirrel population, leaving only 135,000 reds. To help, the Prince of Wales supported a peculiar plan in 2017, backed by squirrel experts. The Animal and Plant Health Agency suggested setting up traps accessible only to gray squirrels. Inside, they would find Nutella laced with GonaCon, a contraceptive that had previously reduced rat fertility by 90%.
5. Support Squirrel Delays Flight
Emotional support animals can be a lifeline, offering comfort to those with emotional or physical challenges. But when unconventional animals are involved, things can get strange. In early 2018, a 'support peacock' was barred from boarding a flight. Later that year, a similar situation unfolded, though this time, the animal was already on the plane. A woman traveling from Orlando to Cleveland had brought her emotional support squirrel. When staff discovered the rodent, they asked her to leave, but she refused. Eventually, police arrived, and the situation became so chaotic that all passengers had to disembark and wait outside for two hours. The woman argued that she had informed Frontier Airlines about her support animal, but failed to mention it was a squirrel, and Frontier doesn't allow rodents onboard. In the end, both the woman and her squirrel were escorted off the plane by authorities.
4. Police Take Squirrel into Custody
In 2018, emergency services in Karlsruhe, Germany, received an unusual call. A man reported that a baby squirrel was chasing him down the street with surprising intensity. The police arrived to find the man still being pursued by the persistent rodent. Eventually, the exhausted squirrel curled up and fell asleep. The frightened man remained anonymous for obvious reasons, but the officers named the sleepy baby 'Karl-Friedrich.' After rescuing the man, the squirrel was taken into police custody to serve as a mascot before being transferred to an animal rescue center. It turns out the squirrel wasn’t psychotic or overly peculiar. A police spokesperson explained that when young squirrels get separated from their mothers, they may latch onto a human as a substitute parent. Interestingly, the rescue center had already received two other baby squirrels that day, and they too had tried to adopt unwilling human guardians.
3. Flying Squirrels Glow Pink
In 2019, a professor in Wisconsin directed an ultraviolet light at a flying squirrel. To everyone's surprise, the squirrel’s fur glowed a fluorescent pink under the UV light. While odd, this phenomenon was noteworthy. Fluorescence is common in other animals such as reptiles, birds, and arachnids, but in mammals, only opossums from the Didelphidae family have been known to display this trait. To determine whether this glowing squirrel was an anomaly, researchers visited the Field Museum in Chicago and the Science Museum of Minnesota, where they examined 135 different animal specimens under UV light. Only three species of flying squirrels from the Glaucomys genus showed the same pink glow. The unique fur might help these nocturnal creatures navigate, communicate, and camouflage in low-light environments, much like opossums.
2. Dead Art
Maurizio Cattelan, an Italian artist known for his controversial humor, has made quite an impact in the art world. One of his most famous works involves a meteor striking the Pope. In 2012, Whitechapel Gallery hosted a Cattelan exhibition, with a bizarre centerpiece: a dead squirrel, possibly a victim of suicide. The taxidermied squirrel sat slumped over a table, a tiny pistol nearby, surrounded by a mess of a kitchen and signs of heavy drinking—suggesting a life that had lost all hope. The piece was called Bidibidobidiboo, a reference to the magical words used by the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. The irony of the title implied that no magic could save the squirrel from its grim fate. Surprisingly, the piece had been purchased six years earlier and was lent to the gallery by its owner, Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, a passionate Cattelan collector.
1. Purple Pete
Squirrel experts know their subjects well, but Pete the squirrel remained a mystery. In 2008, this peculiar squirrel made an appearance at the Meoncross School in Stubbington. Normally, he might have gone unnoticed, but his vibrant purple color was hard to miss. The staff and students dubbed him Pete, yet no one could explain why he was so unusually colored, with an even purple hue covering his entire body. While blotchy fur would suggest an encounter with paint or dye, Pete seemed to be born with his striking purple coat. Experts were certain of one thing: he wasn't a mutant, and this wasn’t a natural occurrence. Pete had a curious habit of visiting an old building near the school where discarded computer printers were stored. It's believed he might have chewed on a purple ink cartridge and, over time, groomed the ink into his fur. However, it would have been an extraordinarily thorough grooming session to achieve such a perfectly even hue.
