Are Squirrels Nature’s Meteorologists?
Do squirrels really predict bad weather? Are squirrels truly capable of telling beforehand how harsh the winter will be? Many believe they are. While they are unable to chart wind speeds and discern patterns that indicate a change in weather, they do appear to have a built-in weather predictor - their instincts. Most of the assumptions about squirrels and the weather-related to squirrel behaviour just before the winter. Some people believe that squirrels change their pre-winter activities when the winter is going to be particularly intense. One popular belief is that when squirrels build their nests high in trees, the coming winter will be pretty harsh. But the lower the nests are, the milder winter will be, or so goes the lore. Imagine how many people, before the advent of modern meteorology, spent hours watching squirrels to see exactly where the secretive foragers were setting up shop! The poor little animals must have been unimpressed, considering that squirrels aren’t fond of being watched. Some people speculate that squirrel pudginess also tells what kind of winter we can expect. If squirrels seem especially plump, we should expect a harsh winter. Presumably because the squirrels, sensing a harsh winter ahead, work more feverishly to accumulate extra body mass beforehand. Another one is that when squirrels forage eagerly and frantically, there is a harsh winter ahead. All of these activities are routine pre-winter behaviours for squirrels but people have, over time, associated them with what they speculate to be special winter detecting skills in squirrels.Cracking the Nut Wide Open
