Cool Critters: Tree squirrels: Good, bad, ‘squirrelly’ and everywhere

Talk about nutty.

When it comes to wildlife animals inhabiting urban areas, public polls typically rank the tree squirrel as a good neighbor – and yet, also a No. 1 problem-maker, according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

How can that be?

“We want them and we don’t want them, depending on what they are doing at any given moment,” the agency explains on its website.

Whether you want tree squirrels or prefer they skedaddle, these bushy-tailed rodents are everywhere. We see them in forests and desert-like areas, but also in our yards, neighborhood parks and even running atop utility lines. Most wild mammals stay in the shadows. The tree squirrel is practically part of our daily life.

Six tree squirrel species live in Washington state, according to the WDFW. In Spokane and other urban settings in the Inland Northwest, you’re most likely to see the eastern gray squirrel and the fox squirrel, which aren’t native to our region. After being introduced in Washington from the East Coast more than a century ago, both species have adapted to city life remarkably well, district wildlife biologist Mark Vesky said.

So well, in fact, that they present a paradox, Vesky added.

“A lot of residents see them as pests, while many others see them as cute and social.”

Yes, squirrels have a gremlin side. They’ve been known to dig up gardens, chew on wires, pilfer birdfeeders and tear across rooftops. Some humans view them as an enemy and vent their frustrations on the Facebook page: “Squirrel haters of America,” dedicated to those who “don’t like squirrels, tree rats or whatever you care to call them.”

But squirrels also have a Tinker Bell side. Acrobatic, feisty and curious, they’re arguably the most entertaining wild mammal on the block.

Having emerged from a spartan winter diet of stored food nuggets, they move cartoonishly fast while foraging for seeds, nuts and twigs.

They even work the day shift, just like us. Human admirers share photos and story snippets on the Facebook page “Squirrel Lovers,” dedicated to “the squirrels and rehabbers and the people who love them.”

Because tree squirrels are so abundant and easy to observe, scientists have little trouble studying them. They are exceptional gardeners, according to research, dispersing seeds and nuts that sprout into plants and trees. Perhaps most surprising is this: A 2010 study published in the journal Animal Behaviour revealed that squirrels engage in “deceptive caching” – previously believed to be carried out only by primates. When a squirrel knows it’s being watched, it will pretend to bury a food item such as a nut and then cover it up with dirt. All the while, the nut is hidden in the squirrel’s mouth or under an armpit.

“Squirrels are remarkably good at what they do,” said John L. Koprowski, co-author of the book “North American Tree Squirrels” and professor of wildlife conservation and management at the University of Wyoming.

“If you look at squirrel skeletons over hundreds of thousands of years, they have changed little, in part a reflection of their success,” he said in an interview.

Like it or not, squirrel habitat and human habitat continue to converge. The two species “value” similar things, according to Koprowski, including large trees, nuts, gardens and garden feeders. Because of this, co-existence can be sometimes what he describes as an “uneasy peace.”

Occasionally, people call Koprowski “squirrelly,” as if to insult him, he said.

Instead, he’s flattered.

“It is perhaps the ultimate compliment when one truly appreciates the success of our bushy-tailed neighbors,” Koprowski said. “I think we would all agree that sometimes humans are not easy to live with.”