When thirsty, squirrels will often drink from wet leaves during rain.

Squirrels have a social hierarchy determined by physical stature. When feeding, you can often see this occur as two squirrels size each other up to determine who gets the peanut. Fortunately, this rarely leads to actual fighting. More dominant squirrels will also frequently chase off other squirrels when eating.

An adult Eastern Grey Squirrel can measure between 15 to 18 inches in length. Half of that is its bushy tail.

The Eastern Grey Squirrel can have as many as two litters per year -- one in early Spring and one in late Summer. Each litter has an average of three young.

The range of the Eastern Grey Squirrel stretches from southern Canada down to Florida, from the East Coast to Texas. Although black ones are almost non-existent in the southern U.S., they are more common farther north in Canada.

Squirrels generally live by themselves. However, during severe cold spells, squirrels will share a home with a friend to conserve body heat.

Squirrels often bury their nuts. However, they don't find them again by memory. They use their acute sense of smell for that. Many buried nuts are never seen again until they grow into trees. As you can see, squirrels are an important part of the ecosystem in forests.

Squirrels can reach speeds of 25 kilometers per hour, but don't expect them to be running marathons anytime soon.

A squirrel's front teeth are continuously sharpened by gnawing on hard objects. The front teeth grow throughout a squirrel's life. Gnawing plays an important role in preventing the teeth from becoming too long.

A squirrel's fur coat is longer and thicker in the winter to protect it from the cold.

Also during the winter, many squirrels develop a tuft of white fur behind their ears.

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