Taxidermy is the art of creating various art objects from animal skins. Taxidermists usually put the figures on special mounts, but they can additionally use other objects, such as tree branches and stones.
The taxidermy mount from the museum’s collection was made in 2010. A branch and a cedar cone were used in the design. The animal is gray with a transition to red. The chest and abdomen are white. The paws have sharp black claws.
These animals are known to stock up on food for the long winter. They bury acorns, nuts and other forest products in the ground. The fact is that the squirrel’s sense of smell is highly advanced — it helps the animal to detect buried food even in very deep snow.
Each individual has its own section of the forest, and the squirrel usually makes several dreys. One drey, in which the animal rests, sleeps and gives birth to small squirrels, becomes the most important one. In Russian, it is called “gayno”. It looks like a messy ball of thin twigs, lichen and moss. The drey has one inlet, it is lined with dry grass, fur and bird feathers, and it is usually hidden in a dense tangle of branches and is invisible to prying eyes.
In early May, the female squirrel produces three to seven babies in a litter who stay in a warm drey. They are born hairless and blind, and two weeks later, they get some sparse fur. After a month, their eyes open, and the fur on the baby’s body continues to grow as the tail hair comes in longer. The mother squirrel keeps the nest clean: she regularly takes her babies and helps them to get rid of dirt.
The squirrel takes it very seriously if the drey is damaged. If something happens, it immediately transfers the squirrels to a new place. At this time, the baby squirrels curl up into balls and behave calmly, they do not interfere with their mother jumping in the trees.
When the squirrels are two months old, the mother squirrel moves to another nest. Young squirrels become independent. At this time, they can fall prey to numerous predators, such as martens, hawks, and owls.
To escape from the marten, the squirrel has to resort to a cunning trick: it climbs to the top of the tree with lightning speed and glides down. Another tactic is used against the hawk: the squirrel runs in circles up a tree. In captivity, the squirrel quickly gets attached to the person and becomes tame.
The taxidermy mount from the museum’s collection was made in 2010. A branch and a cedar cone were used in the design. The animal is gray with a transition to red. The chest and abdomen are white. The paws have sharp black claws.
These animals are known to stock up on food for the long winter. They bury acorns, nuts and other forest products in the ground. The fact is that the squirrel’s sense of smell is highly advanced — it helps the animal to detect buried food even in very deep snow.
Each individual has its own section of the forest, and the squirrel usually makes several dreys. One drey, in which the animal rests, sleeps and gives birth to small squirrels, becomes the most important one. In Russian, it is called “gayno”. It looks like a messy ball of thin twigs, lichen and moss. The drey has one inlet, it is lined with dry grass, fur and bird feathers, and it is usually hidden in a dense tangle of branches and is invisible to prying eyes.
In early May, the female squirrel produces three to seven babies in a litter who stay in a warm drey. They are born hairless and blind, and two weeks later, they get some sparse fur. After a month, their eyes open, and the fur on the baby’s body continues to grow as the tail hair comes in longer. The mother squirrel keeps the nest clean: she regularly takes her babies and helps them to get rid of dirt.
The squirrel takes it very seriously if the drey is damaged. If something happens, it immediately transfers the squirrels to a new place. At this time, the baby squirrels curl up into balls and behave calmly, they do not interfere with their mother jumping in the trees.
When the squirrels are two months old, the mother squirrel moves to another nest. Young squirrels become independent. At this time, they can fall prey to numerous predators, such as martens, hawks, and owls.
To escape from the marten, the squirrel has to resort to a cunning trick: it climbs to the top of the tree with lightning speed and glides down. Another tactic is used against the hawk: the squirrel runs in circles up a tree. In captivity, the squirrel quickly gets attached to the person and becomes tame.
