Hello VSVS Students!
VSVS member Alexis here checking in to tell you two of the most important things to know about college. The first is of course that you should work hard, have fun, and learn as much as you can. The second is that you will undoubtedly encounter more squirrels on your college campus than you ever have in your life. So, here are five fun science facts about squirrels:
- Squirrels are rodents, that means their front teeth never stop growing! All animals are given Latin names so that scientists around the world can communicate without worrying about translation mistakes. The word rodent comes from the Latin word meaning to gnaw or chew.
- Pregnant squirrels carry their babies for 44 days. This is called a gestation period. In comparison, a human gestation period is 9 months, that’s 280 days!
- Grey squirrels, from America, are considered an invasive species in the UK. An invasive species is a species which has been brought to a place where it is not found naturally and often harms the native, or naturally-occurring, species in the area. Grey squirrels are harming the Red squirrels naturally found in the UK because they are larger and take their food.
- Some types of squirrels hibernate during the winter. Hibernation is like a very long nap. Sleeping uses less energy than being awake, so animals will hibernate to save energy when it is cold and hard to find food.
- Squirrels are helping scientists! When squirrels hibernate, they have little blood flowing to their brains, but they wake up completely healthy. When humans have a stroke, blood flow to the brain slows and we have lasting problems with our speech or movements. Scientists are working to develop drugs for stroke patients that could help our brains mimic squirrels.
Bonus: Vanderbilt has a 3:1 squirrel to student ratio! This means that for every one student, there are three squirrels living on campus!