The squirrel doesn't get much attention as most see them as food and often call them tree rats. We see them mostly in the daytime stealing food right before our eyes. I found that some squirrel chewed through the plastic bin that is used for storage of sunflower seeds
I collected 10 very plump and alive burr oak acorns from the bank of the San Marcos River down by Seguin, came home and soaked them in water for a few days to hydrate them and to be sure they were still alive. Then I planted each in its own pot of a gallon size and let them sit and decide when to begin sprouting. That was way back in early March when it was still cold and so the acorns just bided their time and remained dormant.
The ten pots each with an acorn, sat in the breezeway waiting for warmer weather. Along about April 10th I noticed the acorns from all ten pots had been stolen. All plucked neatly out of the pot and taken to wherever.
Which brings me to the observation that squirrels bury their newly found acorns in moist soil. It is my belief that squirrels prefer budded acorns over those that are still dormant. It provides the analogy that we humans like sprouted wheat over just plain wheat grains. They taste better that way. Squirrels are commonly observed storing acorns by digging a small hole in the ground, shoving the acorn in the hole and covering it over. It is my belief they do this not to merely save the acorn for later dining, but to have it sprout and then eat it. Sprouted acorns taste better than dormant ones--they tell me. Not only that, but just as hogs are used to find truffles underground using their sense of smell, so can squirrels find the acorns they planted months earlier.
Most of our squirrels in this area and extending eastward are the fox and gray squirrels. However, last week an unusual looking squirrel hied himself across the street in front of the car and into the roadside woods. I noted a dark head and shoulders as a unique feature of this rodent. I had never seen a squirrel like this in our neighborhood. It turns out that we saw a rock squirrel. Here is the coat coloring of this squirrel, photo courtesy of TPWD:
Texas Tech Research Lab has this to say about the rock squirrel:
Rock squirrels are nearly always found in rocky areas—cliffs, canyon walls, talus slopes, boulder piles, rocky fills along highways, and so forth—where they seek refuge and dig their dens.
Although typical ground squirrels in most respects, rock squirrels can climb trees nearly as well as tree squirrels.
Occasionally they den in tree hollows 5 or 6 m from the ground. The usual den, however, is a burrow dug under rock or tree roots; others are in crevices in rock masonry along railroads and highways, cavities in piles of boulders, or small caves and crevices in rocky outcrops. They are diurnal and most active in early morning and late afternoon, but they are rather shy and difficult to observe at close range. Their call is usually a repeated, sharp, clear whistle.
They feed on a variety of plant materials, depending on availability. Known items include acorns, pine nuts, walnuts, seeds of mesquite, cactus, saltbush, agave, wild gourd, cherries, sumac, spurge, serviceberry, berries of currant and juniper, and all sorts of cultivated fruits and vegetables. Insects also contribute to their diet, especially grasshoppers, crickets, and caterpillars. They have been reported to catch and eat small wild turkeys and other birds.
Rock squirrels are facultative hibernators. In central Texas, they hibernate 2–4 months, from November to February or March. Fat is deposited, and they store food for winter use. At lower elevations in the Big Bend region of Texas they are active all year.
