SAR-EMT40
Well-known member
Anyone seen a swimming squirrel?
I remember seeing a pet squirrel that water skied on TV once. I know that most animals can swim but many don't want to. Until today I had never actually seen a squirrel swim. I was kayaking on Upper Kimbell pond and saw something swimming along. At first I thought it was a muskrat but the color and tail was all wrong. As I got closer the size was also wrong. I was 10 feet away and followed him to the opposite shore where he scrambled out. There is no question that it was a grey squirrel. In all my years I have never seen one out for an afternoon swim. If he fell out of a tree then he was only 20 meters from shore and could have swam back but instead decided to swim the 150 meters to the opposite shore. Now I can only come up with two possibilities. One he was rabid and insane but he swam like he had a purpose in life so I am dismissing that for now. The other was that he was being pursued by a predator. Anyone have any swimming squirrel stories. By the way. The funniest part was the fact that he seemed determined to not get his tail wet. He kept it pretty high out of the water.
Keith
I remember seeing a pet squirrel that water skied on TV once. I know that most animals can swim but many don't want to. Until today I had never actually seen a squirrel swim. I was kayaking on Upper Kimbell pond and saw something swimming along. At first I thought it was a muskrat but the color and tail was all wrong. As I got closer the size was also wrong. I was 10 feet away and followed him to the opposite shore where he scrambled out. There is no question that it was a grey squirrel. In all my years I have never seen one out for an afternoon swim. If he fell out of a tree then he was only 20 meters from shore and could have swam back but instead decided to swim the 150 meters to the opposite shore. Now I can only come up with two possibilities. One he was rabid and insane but he swam like he had a purpose in life so I am dismissing that for now. The other was that he was being pursued by a predator. Anyone have any swimming squirrel stories. By the way. The funniest part was the fact that he seemed determined to not get his tail wet. He kept it pretty high out of the water.
Keith