American red squirrel

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/american-red-squirrel

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Tamiasciurus hudsonicus
2. What is the lifespan?5-8 years in the wild
3. What does an American red squirrel eat?They mainly eat seeds from conifer cones, but also fungi, berries, nuts, insects, and bird eggs when needed.
4. How does an American red squirrel keep its food for winter?They strip the scales off cones and store the seeds in large piles called middens, which help them survive when food is scarce.

Diurnal: Active during daylight hours, contrasting with nocturnal (active at night) animals.
Conspecific: Belonging to the same species; an individual of the same species.
Midden: A refuse pile or accumulation of discarded materials, such as cone scales, created by an animal.
Adaptive Plasticity: The ability of an organism to change its phenotype in response to changes in the environment.