Abert’s Squirrel
The ears of the Abert’s squirrel are long and fuzzy, like a shaggy cross between bat and rabbit ears. It’s a cartoonish creature, often gray with a white underside, but the all-black subspecies is found only in Colorado, looking like a real life pokemon in the pine trees. And that’s not the only distinction for an Abert’s squirrel. It leaps easily from tree to tree, and hangs from branches using only its strong hind legs, which frees up its front paws to handle food. As it eats, it contributes to the health of the ponderosa forest it prefers: spreading seeds as it dines on the cones. As an Abert’s squirrel digs up certain fungi, it disperses spores of Ectomychorrhizal fungus which then grows around the tree – extending the reach of the ponderosa’s own roots. All in a day’s work from an Abert’s squirrel – every day of the year, as the only North American squirrel that does not store food for the winter.
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Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado. See more postcards.
