Squirrels Gather and Store Food In Attics in Preparation For Winter

Squirrels gather and store food, particularly nuts, in their dens or attics to prepare for the winter months when they cannot find enough food. Gray squirrels use a method called "scatter hoarding" to bury their nuts at least an inch beneath the surface, and they use a combination of clues to find them again later, including memory, sense of smell, and sight. However, many nuts are missed and develop into new trees, which benefits future generations. The high efficiency of forest regeneration by gray squirrels is attributed to the large number of seeds they bury and the unrecovered seeds that serve as the basis for future forest regeneration.