Page 86 - World of Animals - Issue #30

Animal be carrying a little extra

Grey squirrels seem to
answers
holiday weight

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questions@animalanswers.co.uk

Is it true that squirrels are getting fatter?

December was unusually mild in 2015. A warmer Squirrels do not hibernate through the winter. Instead, food to eat and more time to eat it in. Heavier squirrels
temperature and absence of ground level frost led to an they eat more during autumn and put on fat stores to have also been reported in Canada and across the US.
abundance of food for squirrels to snack on. The average see them through the colder months when food is less Of course, their size isn’t solely down to eating, but
temperature was 4.1 degrees Celsius (39.4 degrees readily available. Seeing bigger squirrels at this time may also be due to their thicker winter coat. Eventually
Fahrenheit) higher than the UK average. There has also of year is actually quite normal; however this year’s the cold weather will set in, and during this time
been an increase in rainfall, creating the perfect warm squirrels are even bigger than usual. The late onset of squirrels don’t tend to eat much, so it’s likely they’ll lose
and wet environment for fungi, nuts, and seeds to grow. cold weather this winter has meant squirrels have more the extra weight quite soon.

Why are some Spiders depend on their hairy
legs for their survival
spiders so hairy?

When we think of hairy spiders, it’s usually a tarantula
that comes to mind. The special hairs on a tarantula have
a stinging property and they are able to rub their legs
together rapidly to project these hairs onto their prey. In
fact, seemingly hairless spiders have hairs too – tiny ones
that are actually vital to their survival. Under a microscope
you would be able to see lots of small hairs covering the
legs, which are called trichobothria. Spiders don’t have
ears so they use these hairs to gather information about
their surroundings. Small changes in air movement caused
by vibrations can be detected to one ten billionth of a
metre. As well as picking up sound, the hairs are also used
to smell and taste prey. You can often see spiders turning
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insects with their legs – they are getting a good feel and
tasting to check if they are edible.

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