Me and my Peanut is a photograph by Deborah Benoit which was uploaded on May 22nd, 2013.
Me and my Peanut
At one of the ponds I go to there are people who brings peanuts to the squirrels. This little guy was lucky to get... more
Title
Me and my Peanut
Artist
Deborah Benoit
Medium
Photograph - Original Art By Deborah Benoit
Description
At one of the ponds I go to there are people who brings peanuts to the squirrels. This little guy was lucky to get one.
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Squirrels cannot digest cellulose, so they must rely on foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, and fats. In temperate regions, early spring is the hardest time of year for squirrels, because buried nuts begin to sprout and are no longer available for the squirrel to eat, and new food sources have not become available yet. During these times, squirrels rely heavily on the buds of trees. Squirrels' diets consist primarily of a wide variety of plants, including nuts, seeds, conifer cones, fruits, fungi and green vegetation. However, some squirrels also consume meat, especially when faced with hunger. Squirrels have been known to eat insects, eggs, small birds, young snakes and smaller rodents. Indeed, some tropical species have shifted almost entirely to a diet of insects.
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Predatory behavior has been noted by various species of ground squirrels, particularly the thirteen-lined ground squirrel. For example, Bailey, a scientist in the 1920s, observed a thirteen-lined ground squirrel preying upon a young chicken. Wistrand reported seeing this same species eating a freshly killed snake. Whitaker examined the stomachs of 139 thirteen-lined ground squirrels and found bird flesh in four of the specimens and the remains of a short-tailed shrew in one; Bradley, examining white-tailed antelope squirrels' stomachs, found at least 10% of his 609 specimens' stomachs contained some type of vertebrate, mostly lizards and rodents. Morgart observed a white-tailed antelope squirrel capturing and eating a silky pocket mouse.
Uploaded
May 22nd, 2013
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Comments (35)
Andrzej Goszcz
Gud Dof !!!!! Sweet ! Awssss ...... fantastic lens ! Also !!!!!!!! Best regards :) ~ Andrzej:)
John Chivers
Beautiful close up work, incredible details and colours..stunner!! V/F :) If you have any spare votes I'm entering a image of mine for the TV context and am desperate for votes to go through to the judging round many many thanks for any help on this, john.. http://fineartamerica.com/contests/national-tv-photo-contest-2.html?tab=vote&artworkid=3831153