There are no pictures to go along with this observation, but I wanted to post about it anyways so that it was documented.
I put a kayak in Hickory Creek this weekend, and paddled from Old Alton Bridge out to the FM2499 bridge over Lake Lewisville. On the way, I witnessed something that was a little unusual—at least in my experience.
At one point along the way I noticed something swimming across the creek way up ahead of us. It was small and only its head was visible above the water. The creek was about 35-40 yards/meters wide at this spot and the animal was working hard to get across as fast as possible. When the critter reached the far bank, it clambered out of the water, shook off, and then jumped up onto the nearest tree trunk. The Fox Squirrel soon disappeared from view as he made his way through the trees.
I cannot imagine what would inspire a Fox Squirrel to risk a swim across the creek like this. I guess maybe the trees on the far side were more to his liking than the tree on the side he started from.
Anyhow, I was not aware that squirrels were even capable of such a feat. As it turns out, Fox Squirrels appear to be quite accomplished swimmers: Swimming Behavior in the Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
Observations Details
| County | - | Denton |
|
| City | - | Unincorporated | |
| Date | - | Sep 2, 2012 | |
| Time of Day | - | Noon | |
| Temperature | - | Hot (greater than 89°F/32°C) | |
| Weather | - | Clear | |
| Habitat | - | Recreation-Park | |
| Type of Behavior | - | Swimming | |
| Gender | - | Uncertain | |
| Maturity | - | Adult | |
| Observer | - | Chris Jackson | |
| Main Article | - | Fox Squirrel | Observation Location |
That’s a new one for me, too! I would never have guessed. Fascinating behavior.