Each week, CatchMark Community features a Wild Animal Fact from Montague native Seth Simon, the creator of the popular bite-sized wildlife series. Seth is known for his upbeat personality, love of animals, and knack for turning fascinating facts into fun, 60-second reads. His goal is to spark curiosity, encourage conservation awareness, and bring a little joy to everyone who follows along. We’re proud to share his work and add a touch of “wild” to your week.
As part of this weekly feature, Seth brings his signature enthusiasm straight to our readers with a fresh creature spotlight—packed with quick facts, habitat insights, and the unique quirks that make each animal extraordinary. His posts combine education and entertainment in a way that’s accessible for all ages, making wildlife learning both fun and memorable. Enjoy this week’s feature below!
Hey 
Wild Fact Fans, Seth here with the new Friday Feature creature. Don’t forget to please like 
, share and comment 
questions 
down below 
If you have any on this weeks animal ^^ or any creature you’d like me to do a post on in the future
This weeks feature creature is one that pretty much many have seen if you live in urban and near forested areas of North America ; especially in temperate biomes. A common sight seen leaping around on the ground or scurrying thru the trees 
in the constant search for food; especially before the harsh winter 
hits. While to many of us, it may seem like an ordinary animal ; make no mistake with this rodent, as its and adaptable city 
critter with plenty of skills to survive in the urban jungle.
This weeks feature creature is the Eastern Grey Squirrel 
1. Measuring in at 1 to 2ft long (half their length in their long bushy tails) & weighing in at 0.5 ounces to 4 lbs; Eastern Grey Squirrels are the most common species of squirrel & rodent found in North America 
. They’re often confused with Fox squirrels which are larger and have more rusty red colors on them.
2. While mostly called “Grey” squirrels despite hints of brown on them; they can actually be brownish red, pure white or pure black in color! The black and white color variants actually came along after urban areas came around since less predators are around, so they don’t have to camouflage themselves
3. Around a century ago; these squirrels were accidentally introduced to the UK 
; where they’ve become a top invasive competitor with native squirrels. They also spread new viruses 
to them that threaten native squirrels; but people are working to solve the problem.
4. Grey Squirrels are part of tree 
squirrel family of the 200 kinds of squirrels. This means theyre expert tree climbers 
thanks to sharp claw like nails 
, rotating ankles for running down trees headfirst & hang upside down, and a long bushy tail gives great balance
5. Strong back legs 
& small acrobatic bodies for agile movement on the ground & in the trees makes squirrels incredible athletes. They can jump 8ft in a single bound & run at speeds of 20 mph! They can also swim 
pretty well when needed & land on their feet 
like a cat 
by spreading out and puffing up Their tail to catch air as they fall!
6. Alongside nuts 
and acorns ; Eastern Grey squirrels are very opportunistic omnivores who will eat a wide variety of foods such as seeds (especially from bird 
feeders), fruit 
, veggies 
, buds , flowers 
, bark , pinecones, tree sap, fungi 
& truffles, insects 
, frogs 
, small lizards 
, young birds , eggs 
, and even smaller rodents & other squirrels sometimes if food is scare!
7. Like other squirrels ; they also gnaw on shed deer 
antlers & old turtle 
shells to keep their ever growing teeth 
short , get calcium & as food to keep them going thru harsh times.
8. during the fall 
months; eastern grey’s cache thousands of acorns & other nuts in underground spots for the winter since they don’t hibernate; which they can remember 80% of them and use to survive the harsh seasons since they dont hibernate. They can also sniff 
them out even under a foot 
of snow 
!
9. Grey squirrels communicate to each other thru 20 different kinds of calls & body movement which includes tail flicking. When they spot predators; they give an alarm to warn them. They also flick their tails rapidly to indicate danger 
, to warn off another squirrel in their territory, and even distract a predator when they’re ready to strike.
10. Their long tail also helps them keep warm in the harsh winter by wrapping it around them to keep warm & can use as an umbrella 
a bit when it rains 
11. Trees are a safe zone for squirrels as they use their climbing skills to keep the tree between themselves & the predator; moving when their enemy moves. And with plenty of predators like foxes 
, bobcats, lynxes, raccoons 
, pine martens & other mustelids, birds of prey like hawks 
and owls 
, snakes 
, & coyotes ; its pretty important to stay on guard with their keen senses of peripheral sight 
with special yellow eye lenses to cut thru sun 
glare , keen hearing 
and smell; along with not straying too far from trees.
12. With some of the nuts 
and seeds they forget to eat ; most end up being planted and soon grow into new trees and foliage; which makes them important parts of the ecosystem. Scientists believe that after the last ice age 
when glaciers retreated north ; most of the new forests that grew afterwards in place were planted by birds like blue jays & mammals like grey squirrels !
13. Since so many animals like deer , wild turkeys 
& chipmunks eat acorns; eastern greys have to be sneaky with hiding their food; so they make fake cache holes to fool acorn thieves in case they’re being watched. Other squirrels will also steal from each other pretty often too!
14. While they’re not strongly territorial and can live close together, some dominant hierarchies can happen. Breeding for them takes place through spring and summer so they can focus on food later in fall.
15. Eastern grey squirrels can have babies (kits or pups) when they’re 5 1/2 months old! They can have 2 litters of 2 to 4 babies at a time; keeping them safe in nests 
called dreys which are made of leaves 
& twigs set high up on tree branches. They also nest in used tree cavities as well; especially those made by woodpeckers.
16. A newborn kit is half a gram & has no fur when born; so a mother has to shed off her fur to keep her babies warm! It’ll take 3 to 4 months till the young can leave the nest & take 9 months to be fully grown. Sometimes mothers will adopt kits that have been orphaned that are related to them!
Next week’s feature creature hint 
: this african creature is a main icon as it roams in large herds across the open plains; sporting its well recognized coat patterns
Wild Animal Facts: Thai Water Dragon
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