Food isn’t always abundant in nature but animals always seem to find a way to sustain themselves, this includes tiny animals like squirrels. 

Many types of squirrels exist on this earth, there are more than 200 species of squirrels in existence, and it seems that they all like nuts. So why is this you may ask, ‘why do squirrels like nuts?’ this article explores this topic 

Squirrels like nuts not only because they are delicious but because they are often abundant in and around squirrel habitats. Nuts are also very easy to store for the winter and don’t go off. In addition, nuts help squirrels put on weight for the winter. 

Why do squirrels like nuts?

Squirrels are known for loving nuts. But they do not like nuts for liking nuts sake, these animals enjoy what they can get ahold of, and what they can get ahold of are nuts.

One nut that squirrels enjoy is the acorn, the reason squirrels enjoy this nut so much is because it’s accessible, oak trees are abundant where squirrels live and because they are so abundant they are a great source of food for these animals. 

Another reason why squirrels enjoy nuts so much is because nuts store well. These animals know that food in the winter is not plentiful so they store whatever food they can for the colder months.

Hidden or buried nuts are advantageous in two ways: the nuts are stored to be used in future by the squirrel and the nuts are kept away from other animals that may also be looking for food.

The storing of nuts allows squirrels to survive winter and the colder months. Some species of squirrels hibernate for the winter. These squirrels do not store nuts for the winter but rather eat nuts in order to put on weight for the winter.

Nuts have a high fat content (good fats) these good fats help the animal put on weight and this weight is what their bodies use as energy for hibernation during winter 

Squirrels also enjoy eating nuts because it’s a form of exercise to them, it also helps with maintaining their teeth. When squirrels eat nuts with the shell still on, the process of removing the shell is a type of exercise for them.

Nuts also help squirrels maintain their teeth. Squirrel teeth never stop growing, the tips can also become blunt over time. The process of opening the nut helps squirrels sharpen their teeth and keep them at a manageable length.

Convenience is another reason why squirrels have a preference for nuts. Because squirrels are small they are not able to carry large fruits or vegetables back to their homes.

Nuts come in handy because they come in a convenient package and they are easy to carry.

What nuts do squirrels like best?

Squirrels enjoy a variety of nuts including almonds, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pine nuts, beechnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts and pretty much any nut they can get their hands on.

How do squirrels know where they buried nuts?

A study found that these animals fail to recover up to 74% of the nuts they’ve buried, so squirrels don’t always know where they’ve buried their nuts. This may be helpful for the regeneration of trees, like oak trees, but it isn’t always helpful to squirrels.

To combat forgetting where their buried nuts are, squirrels will frequently bury their nuts then dig up and rebury the nuts. This allows them to keep the memory of where they buried the nuts fresh in their mind. 

Another way that squirrels remember where they buried their nuts is by scent. These animals have such a keen sense of smell that they can find a cache (a site where they buried their nuts) by odor.

This also results in squirrels finding nuts buried by other squirrels. One nut doesn’t have much of a smell but a collection of nuts buried can easily be found by squirrels 

Spatial memory also helps squirrels find their buried nuts. An example of this is squirrels burying their food near landmarks, this helps them remember where food is buried.

These animals may also bury their nuts in a series of locations, this helps them form a map of all their storage locations 

Conclusion 

In conclusion, there are a variety of reasons why squirrels enjoy nuts so much.

Nuts are abundant, easily accessible, store well, help squirrels put on weight, help in maintaining the squirrel’s teeth, and opening nuts is a form of exercise for squirrels.

Nuts that squirrels enjoy include almonds, hickory nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pine nuts, beechnuts, pecans, almonds and hazelnuts

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other squirrel related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: How much do baby squirrels sleep?, What happens if a squirrel scratches you?, What fruit do squirrels eat?