WHOOPS!: Good thing our readers are on their toes — one attentive gentleman alerted The Era that the rodent identified as a chipmunk in Tuesday’s edition, is actually the American Red Squirrel — with noticeable characteristics of a bushy red tail and a thick, white circle around the animals’ black eyes.
The American Red Squirrel is widespread across Pennsylvania and easy to identify when compared to other squirrel species. As the name suggests, they have a reddish color and white belly that makes them easy to distinguish. Size-wise, they are much smaller than both gray and fox squirrels but a bit larger than chipmunks.
Chipmunks and squirrels are both members of the Sciuridae family. Furthermore, they look and act a lot alike. But there are several differences between these two rodents. Squirrels and chipmunks have hair that differs in color and pattern. While squirrels usually live in trees, chipmunks live in a burrow with a series of tunnels. Though they are both known to eat nuts and seeds, chipmunks have a few more items on their menu.
A chipmunk has brown fur covering its body. However, this rodent is known for the black and white stripes on its back and sides.
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NATIONAL CUDDLE UP DAY: Today is National Cuddle Up Day, and the weather certainly seems to be ready to help inspire us to do so. National Cuddle Up Day encourages us to take advantage of the release of oxytocin. Oxytocin reduces pain, which means that while the cold makes those muscles and joints ache, cuddling can help reduce those aches and pains.
