Squirrels swimming?

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Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Has anyone ever seen a squirrel swimming in the river or any body of water? A friend of mine who is a member of a yacht club further down the river from us told me that squirrels were swimming over to the boats and getting on board via the pendant line and wreaking havoc. I was very incredulous when he told me this but some of the guys in my club actually saw a squirrel trying to cross the Taunton River at it's widest point just last summer. They swim kind of funny with their tail sticking up out of the water. I've hunted all my life and I never seen nor heard of squirrels swimming.
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Just Googled 'swimming squirrels' and there's plenty there. Lots on you tube.
Found this interesting- http://www.jstor.org/pss/3858641

Rich
Hey Rich! Who'da thunk it? I've been an avid fisherman, hunter and backwoodsman all my life and I'm pushing 70. I first heard about this three years ago and I haven't seen it with my own eyes as of yet but I'm a believer. The area where the guys saw this squirrel crossing has to be at least 600' across to the other side in brackish water and he was headed for the other side of the river. The guys said that this little rodent looked so comical swimming with his tail standing up straight out of the water. Now,-- I've actually seen seals out on the river swimming,-- but squirrels? I don't think so. :eek:
 
Feb 23, 2010
67
Oday 240 Bronte, ON
I saw one on the Rideau in September. It's tail was in the water so I thought it was an otter until it came out of the water.
 
Apr 1, 2004
178
Diller-Schwill DS-16 Belle River
Certainly they can swim, what do you think they do when they fall off their water skies!
 
Jun 12, 2010
936
Oday 22 Orleans Marina, NOLA
Well, rats swim pretty good and a squirrel is just a rat with a bushy tail, so...
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Red Squirrel swimming. While filming the wildlife in the adirondacks, Richard Kraus and Dave Giardenelli caught the following on camera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB61yh7mgI8
Hey thanks for posting that Youtube! Now I'm a true believer!
That little guy swims pretty good though. Maybe some squirrels have better swimming abilities than others.
I really don't believe that the squirrel would have bit him had he got him on board and gave him a ride. Seals will bite you but a squirrel will only come after you if she thinks you pose a threat to their young.
We had a squirrel's nest up on a pole in back of an aerial transformer years ago and I had to go up in a bucket to remove the nest. That mother squirrel came right after me across that cross arm. I had to fend her off with my switch stick. I hated to take that nest out of there but my boss was down on the ground ordering me to do it.
Animal can be unpredictable and they were probably wise to just let him swim across.
 
Jun 2, 2004
1,923
Oday Day Sailer Wareham, MA
Joe, I've seen 2 squirels swimming. One on the Bass River, we first thought is was a snake..... but having never seen a hairy snake.... we soon realized it was a squirrel. It was commical! The second one we saw was on the Wareham River, and now that I think of it......it was no longer swimming.....it was sort-of floating.....doing the dead man's float......literally! (Ok, the dead squirrels Float?)

A few years ago my Parents saw a large Deer swimming off Dry Ledge in Buzzards Bay, that is about 1-2 miles from the nearest shoreline! Listening to the Wareham Harbor Patrol that afternoon, I got the feeling the deer didn't make it back to land. They pulled the body in later.
 
Jan 24, 2005
4,881
Oday 222 Dighton, Ma.
Joe, I've seen 2 squirrels swimming. One on the Bass River, we first thought is was a snake..... but having never seen a hairy snake.... we soon realized it was a squirrel. It was comical! The second one we saw was on the Wareham River, and now that I think of it......it was no longer swimming.....it was sort-of floating.....doing the dead man's float......literally! (Ok, the dead squirrels Float?)

A few years ago my Parents saw a large Deer swimming off Dry Ledge in Buzzards Bay, that is about 1-2 miles from the nearest shoreline! Listening to the Wareham Harbor Patrol that afternoon, I got the feeling the deer didn't make it back to land. They pulled the body in later.
The guys in my club laughed like a son of a gun when they saw that squirrel swimming across the Taunton River down by Joe O'Connell's Marina, the widest part of the river. He looked comical too with his tail sticking up straight out of the water.
I've heard that the deer are always swimming to and from the Elizabeth Islands down the Cape.
Those islands are all loaded with deer. I used to wake up early on my boat in the "Frog Pond" of Cuttyhunk and paddle over to shore just to see the deer walking around the streets. Some lady used to feed them every morning and they'd show up on her porch every morning looking for a hand out. We loved Cuttyhunk. It was like going back in time.
It was hard to believe that the guy used to fly his plane into that pond. That last pic is their public library.
At the time, they had three students who attended their little school house which was part of the Berkley Ma school system.

They generated their own electricity with six of eight Detroit diesel engines, and their primary voltage was 440 Volts, all URD.
The head of the light dept was also the town police chief and I think he was a volunteer fireman. His name was Bill Jenkins and he wore a lot of different hats.
Like most islands, Cuttyhunk is loaded with Lyme Disease ticks.
 

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