Squirrels!
By Ali Canary
@AliCanary (4879)
June 22, 2026 4:48pm CST
Today I learned that some countries, like Australia and New Zealand, do not have squirrels, and one of the highlights of visiting the United States is seeing squirrels just zipping gaily about everywhere. Since they are EVERYWHERE, we tend to take them for granted.
But since this is an international forum, I decided to share what you may not know about my country. We have different kinds of squirrels. The red squirrels are smaller, with long ear tufts. They are very social and cute and ornery. They larger grey ones are extremely smart and can figure out how to get into, around, and inside anything in the pursuit of food. There are also leucistic (white) and melanistic (black) versions of the grey squirrels. So not only do we have squirrels, we have a whole color palette of them!
14 people like this
13 responses
@DaddyEvil (177192)
• United States
23 Jun
We have all the colors of squirrels in my part of the US. It's also illegal to shoot the white ones.
The brown squirrels in my back yard play with the bunny rabbits. If you step outside, squirrels will stop and stare at you while the bunnies run for the ditch at the back of our yard.
3 people like this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
23 Jun
Squirrels socialize pretty easily. If you feed them in the park, they'll come right up and sometimes even come up onto your lap! Bunnies are extremely wary.
@Ineeddentures (44026)
•
23 Jun
We have red ones
And we have grey ones
The grey ones were imported
From America
Are bigger than the native Reds
And don't like them very much and are bad to them
Some people think the Greys should be culled
I think not
2 people like this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
23 Jun
Our reds are threatened, too, I believe. The greys are definitely dominant.
1 person likes this
@Ineeddentures (44026)
•
23 Jun
@AliCanary
If the lunatics here get their way they will cull the Greys
The Greys didn't ask to be here.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
24 Jun
@Ineeddentures people always mess things up for the animals :(
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (87105)
• United States
23 Jun
I love my backyard visitors with the cute tails. 
2 people like this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
23 Jun
They are cute! I bet rats are jealous of those fluffy tails, lol
1 person likes this
@BACONSTRIPSXXX (18813)
• Torrington, Connecticut
23 Jun
I never knew that, thought they would be worldwide
2 people like this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
24 Jun
Right? It's SO common for us. There are probably places that don't have pigeons, either.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (124359)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
22 Jun
I did not know that squirrels come in different colors and sizes.
2 people like this
@Deepizzaguy (124359)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
23 Jun
@AliCanary I have seen squirrels in the trees in my neighborhood from time to time.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
23 Jun
Yep! The white ones and black ones are just versions of the large grey squirrels, but the red ones are smaller, and of course little chipmunks are a type of ground squirrel. Oh, and I just remembered fox squirrels! They look like the greys but are VERY large, almost like rabbits. I saw some in South Carolina.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (45022)
• Denver, Colorado
22 Jun
I love squirrels. Until they run in front of my bike and freeze. 
2 people like this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
23 Jun
I find beeping the horn usually gives them a little motivation (not sure why the car itself doesn't).
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (99847)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
22 Jun
No squirresl come my way lately but I used to have a few visits, This is the last one that came,
2 people like this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
23 Jun
She's got very long ears for a grey! Those look like red squirrel ears! My greys are very snub-eared.
1 person likes this
@JESSY3236 (22600)
• United States
23 Jun
I think we only have brown and grey ones in my part of North Carolina.
@JudyEv (386467)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Jun
Thee are squirrels in our Perth Zoo. They run freely and I think have spread a little way into the immediate surrounds. They are not native to us but I guess the first ones were escapees. It's surprising that they never got established and spread more.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386467)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jun
@AliCanary I was surprised to see koalas in a zoo somewhere but I can't remember where now. There are only a limited number of eucalyptus types that they'll eat and I was wondering how they managed to feed them.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (386467)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 Jun
@AliCanary I think these koalas were in Austria so they might have needed to get some trees established before getting the koalas.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
25 Jun
@JudyEv We can probably grow them, but I'm sure we can import them if necessary. We have pandas in zoos, too (bamboo grows well here - it's even considered invasive).
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (223764)
• United States
26 Jun
The squirrels here like to scamper around on the roof. I hear them running and dropping nuts on the roof.
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
26 Jun
They get on our roof, too, and I'm not even sure how - no trees close to the house. I guess they just climb up!
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (4879)
•
24 Jun
I didn't even mention chipmunks, a small ground squirrel about the size of a mouse. They are the cutest!
1 person likes this
