It's true: Some squirrels are fatter than usual this year
Digital Reporter
Tuesday, December 8, 2015, 3:50 PM - Milder-than-usual weather can do strange things to an environment, and the animals that inhabit it.
Warm air has been parked over parts of Ontario and Quebec since the start of the season, leading to days with near-double-digit highs when the temperature should, historically speaking, be hovering closer to the freezing mark.
The high temperatures mean there's no snow on the ground in parts of Ontario and Quebec, and that's left squirrels with more opportunity to bulk up for the winter.
Submitted by Jim Middelton, North Bay, Ontario
Earlier this week, Metro Toronto spoke with David Sugarman, a senior researcher at the Ontario Science Centre, who confirmed that squirrels in southern Ontario are fatter than usual this year.
"We have had a really warm November," Sugarman told the news outlet.
"Naturally, if you're an animal that's got to make it through the winter with little or no food, you want to pack in as much as fat as possible."
Submitted by Oranus Varzgar, Richmond Hill, Ontario
Squirrels don't hibernate. Instead, they build up fat reserves in the fall to help survive the winter, where food can be scarce and conditions can be frigid.
According to Sugarman, the extra bulk won't harm the squirrels, but may make it more difficult for them to move around this year.
Submitted by David Brook, Cambridge, Ontario
"If the squirrel were able to stay chubby all year round, it might decrease its longevity," Sugarman told Metro.
"But eventually the snow is going to come, the cold weather will increase and they're going to burn off some of that extra fat."
Submitted by Thomas Walker, North Vancouver, British Columbia
How does mild weather impact hibernating animals?
Long bouts of above-seasonal weather can have a negative impact on hibernating animals, as well as on animals who depend on their natural camouflage to survive.
Unusual weather can cause animals to delay hibernation or come out of hibernation early, at a time when food resources may be scarce.
In 2013, NPR published a report on the snowshoe hare, a cute and cuddly creature that relies on camouflage to survive. They turn brown in the summer and white in the winter -- and this has worked well, until recently.
According to the report, climate change is causing snow to fall later in Utah. Hares are turning white ahead of the snow, and becoming a virtual bulls-eye in the process.
Experts call this "mismatching". Some species have been known to adapt, but it can sometimes take a few generations.
Sources: Metro
