Hobbies And Interests
Diet
Nuts and seeds from beech and hazel trees form the basis of the gray squirrel's diet. Gray squirrels rely on the calories provided by this mast; they bury some of it in the forest floor for use as long-term food supplies for the winter months. Squirrels are also partial to fungi, young buds, fruit, caterpillars and occasional eggs. This rich variety adds other essential nutrients for growth and development. Despite their destructive effects on young plants, squirrels play a part in maintaining the ecobalance of bugs, insects and small wildlife.
Reforestation
Given that squirrels inhabit the trees in wide areas of forest, parkland and suburban areas, their hoarding and food-burying activities lead to the dissemination and re-seeding of many trees and bushes within those natural habitats. This is particularly beneficial in areas where woodland and scrub is sparse; new growth provides habitats for squirrels and other wildlife.
Fungi
In a 1988 research study entitled "Interactions Among Squirrels, Mycorrhizal Fungi, and Coniferous Forests in Oregon," C. and Z. Maser noted the important role of the gray squirrel in disseminating fungal spores throughout Oregon's forested areas. The authors discovered that spores are not destroyed by the gray squirrel's digestive process; instead, essential nutrients are picked up along with the spores in the gastrointestinal tract during transit, to enrich and invigorate growth when the spores are deposited in squirrel pellets throughout Oregon's forests.
Prey
The plentiful numbers and twice-yearly litters of gray squirrels make them abundant and nutritious prey to creatures such as owls, hawks, snakes and foxes. Squirrels sometimes fall prey to large scavenging fish while crossing streams. However, the gray squirrel's most dangerous predators are human beings, who shoot them as vermin and pests; they also use them as food and fur pelts.