Wren asked, in yesterday's comments, if Scruffy could be pregnant.
I don't think so; it's a bit early. These squirrels normally breed in March or April.
But you be the judge:
1. Here's Scruffy, this week. Notice how uniformly rounded she is. She still has the scar on the upper back, which shows as an indentation in this photo; it's hairless.
2. Here's Scruffy, last January 14th, almost a year ago. (Aside: compare the background; snow vs. green grass.)
She has a distinct "waist" in the older photo. It's gone, now. And now her body dwarfs her thighs.
3. Here's Scruffy, probably pregnant, the 12th of March, last year. (Counting back from the date the kits were weaned. 36 to 40 days gestation, 6 to 9 weeks of nursing.)
She still has a bit of a waist.
4. And here's Scruffy, no longer pregnant, June 4th of last year. The kits turned up for snacks a week later, so they must have been at least 5 weeks old when this photo was taken.
So: what do you think? Pregnant, or just well-fed?
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Nature notes and photos from BC, Canada, mostly in the Lower Fraser Valley, Bella Coola, and Vancouver Island.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
2 comments:
I'm having to moderate all comments because Blogger seems to have a problem notifying me. Sorry about that. I will review them several times daily, though, until this issue is fixed.
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Well, the calendar is probably the telling fact making pregnancy not likely. It just seemed odd that she was fat and sassy when we're having such a cold, snowy winter.
ReplyDeleteI found out the day before yesterday that a neighbour has been feeding her on his balcony.
ReplyDelete