The Autumn Diet of a Montréal Squirrel

October 12, 2021

By Agathe Nolla

The province of Québec mostly hosts the Eastern Grey Squirrel (sciurus carolinensis) species, also known as Silvertail, recognizable by its large, bushy, shiny, and super cute silverish tail. They are one the most common animals in Québec, with up to 20 Silvertails per acre. As the urban space develops, researchers show that Montréal squirrels have transformed their diet to better fit the nutritional resources of the city. Clever, dangerous, adorable, or detrimental, these new nutrients can be found all around campus. 

With the arrival of the fall season and the dropping of temperatures, squirrels begin to accumulate fat in order to fight winter. Being mostly nut-eaters, they use a variety of nuts, depending on the season, as the basis of their alimentation. By October, the hunt for acorns, beechnuts, walnuts, pine seeds, and hickory nuts has started. While a majority of the nuts found are eaten on the spot, the rest are hidden and buried for the upcoming colder days. Not all of them will be retrieved; with their developed sense of smell, on average, squirrels will find 85% of all nuts to help them survive through the snow. 

City squirrels, unlike forest squirrels (suisses), are usually large and fat. They not only feed themselves with nuts and seeds from the different Montreal parks, but also from the garbage and food waste left behind by Montreal park visitors. Hence, the furry rodents have developed an imbalanced diet with an excess of fat. This also makes them more dependent on human waste and garbage. In addition, it incites them to lose their natural fear of humans and start approaching you and your friends eating in the park with more confidence. 

Montrealers have noticed filthier streets and public trash cans, as well as an increasing fear of squirrels. It has become illegal to feed squirrels in many boroughs of Montreal in order to protect the city from the so-called “devastation” of the squirrels. For instance, in the Plateau, feeding a squirrel will get you a $60 fine; in LaSalle, the first offense fine is $20, while it’ll cost you $300 in Ville-Marie.

Feeding squirrels or feeding off squirrels: that is a strange question. But it has sparked discussions among Canadians and Northeast Americans over the last five years. In 2017, squirrel hunting was approved through petitions and legalized in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, and Prince Edward Island. In Chicago, squirrel-eating is a quite common practice, as it is a cheap way to alleviate the city’s food insecurity rate (around 20% in 2012). As a matter of fact, cooking rodents used to represent a considerable part of America’s culinary culture throughout the 20th century. 

City squirrels have a specific and naturally-balanced diet with limited space for fat in order to be self-sufficient and survive the winter. Their daily menu tremendously impacts their health, as it represents about 10% (1.5 oz) of their total body weight (14 oz). So, please do not feed them nor destroy the resources they feed off of, such as walnut trees or small insects. 

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