Saturday, March 5, 2011

Day 116: Black Squirrel

It was awareness day on campus today, and there were a lot of table set up handing out stickers and pins with various slogans about Kent State.


One of the mascots or popular images at my college is a black squirrel. These little guys have been living on campus for several squirrel generations, and have run off all the other breeds of squirrel.


One of the most interesting things I've learned about the evolution of the black squirrel population on campus, is that not only are they not afraid of people because they've grown up in their midst (more than once I've been enjoying a meal outside and a squirrel has come up to within arms reach to check me out. I've fed several of them bits of my food directly from my hand) but they have taken us into account when planning their winter preparations.


It's been noticed over the last few years that squirrels are using us to crack their acorns. They will pile up acorns on the sidewalks in heavily trafficked areas and allow us to walk all over them to open the shells. I myself have noticed piles of acorns and shells in areas where no acorn trees are anywhere nearby for them to have fallen from.


Anyway, I threw together a black squirrel holding an acorn and put it on one of the tables in the main student center. 


See you tomorrow.

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