Baby Skunks!

A few days ago I discovered that there are seven baby Skunks living on my street in Vancouver! They live in a cute burrow with their parents, but are often out and about in the evening, playing with one another. Here's a little video of them:


Baby Skunks! from Nico Collins on Vimeo.

Look at those holes the Skunks made!

Skunks are known for their ability to spray a smelly liquid when threatened, but Skunks don't often spray! If you get close to a Skunk, it will hiss at you before spraying you, so don't be afraid of them, but do keep a respectful distance. Skunks also don't have great eyesight, so unless you get super close, they probably cannot even see you.

Digging for worms!

Skunks dig burrows to live in, where they cuddle with their family, and also dig in the ground to find food, like wormies. These baby Skunks are still pretty small, but very active in playing with one another and digging a lot! Skunks had tiny little legs with claws, long bodies, and of course, a big pouffy tail. Skunks eat a lot more than just worms, and in fact, will eat almost anything! They are not very picky eaters.

3 baby Skunks hanging out together.

Skunks sleep during the day and wake up around sunset to look for food. In Vancouver, I usually see adult Skunks in the nighttime, around midnight, but the babies are active starting around 8pm. Skunks also sleep more and eat less in the Winter, although they don't usually hibernate, like some bears. Sometimes, many lady Skunks will sleep in a den together to stay warm!

Squirrel Appreciation Day!

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! 

The word "Squirrel" means "shadow-tailed" and Squirrels are Rodents, like Mice, Rats, and Chipmunks. Rodents are mammals (just like us humans) but have special teeth that keep growing. Rodents must nibble and chew on things to wear down their teeth! Squirrels love climbing trees and have great toes and claws for holding on tight. Squirrels often find food in trees, such as nuts and berries, although its easier if they wait until the food falls to the ground. Then they scurry around, collecting all the delicious treats, and stuff them into their mouth for storage!

Squirrels can be lot of different colors, such as black, red, or brown, with different striped patterns on their tails. Black Squirrels are not a different species, and are actually Eastern Grey Squirrels. They just have a dark pigment to their skin and fur.

Squirrels have pretty big eyes, which means they have great vision, for avoiding predators and finding yummy food.

Squirrels love hiding their food in the ground, and will use their cute little feet to dig holes for burying their treats. These fuzzy creatures will come back for their food when they're hungry. Sometimes they forget where they have hidden their nuts, seeds, and berries, and a new plant will grow from the ground. This means, that Squirrels help plants reproduce by planting their seeds!

Feel free to share any of your Squirrel stories!