January 21 is Squirrel Appreciation Day

it's a very happy animal

aryciu has contributed a photo to this story.

This picture of the squirel was shot at the Hebbal Lake, Bangalore, India. The equipment used was a Canon 400D camera with a 70-300MM Tamron Lens.

anupbunny has contributed a photo to this story.

They may be nice to look at, and yet they are very destructive. Same family as the Rat and Mice. You do not want them any where near your House.

I photographed this Squirrel while he was raiding my bird feeders, he just looked so cheeky I had to take a picture!

Slinky-2012 has contributed a photo to this story.

It was just friendly looking face.

700frames has contributed a photo to this story.

I remember going to DC when I was a kid and the things that fascinated me the most were not the museums or the history, but the squirrels. Hundreds and hundreds of city squirrels.

I love squirrels :) This Picture was taken at Eastham on the Wirral in the UK using a Nikon D90 with the 18-105 Lens.

gronygroovy has contributed a photo to this story.

This picture was taken at DownHills Park in North London UK. The park as a lot of squirrels who are very tame and can easily be hand fed. This time of year the down on the ground looking for buried food.

Michael Innes has contributed a photo to this story.

This was taken in Museum park, York. There are squirrels everywhere and they are so tame. They not scared to come right up to you!
magicadey has contributed a photo to this story.

I enjoy feeding and watching all of nature's creatures. This squirrel apparently wanted me to know the peanut supply needed replenishing : )

Dark Spinner has contributed a photo to this story.

Many Red Squirrels live in Cockermouth Cemetery, Cumbria, England. Some of them are very tame and will come to be feed on peanuts. Many people feed the Squirrels, they take the nuts and bury them.

magzie.redundant a victim of the credit crunch has contributed a photo to this story.

We were in Washington DC a couple of years ago and enjoyed the friendly White House squirrels. We named this one George.

SZSRocks has contributed a photo to this story.

I spotted this chap in the leaves in grosvenor park chester.

bewsherc has contributed a photo to this story.

This little guy was taking a bath after a great morning of grazing in Yosemite Valley last spring.

ihatefog has contributed a photo to this story.

This little fella was caught trying to break into the chocolate shop at Niagara on the lake. He had a little trouble trying to operate the door

nathan_peauril has contributed a photo to this story.

She is the Moscow squirrel! Bears across Moscow do not go)))), and squirrel in parks live))))

eduard.granin has contributed a photo to this story.

This squirrel has been seen many times in Victoria Park, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.

I actually planned to capture the image, taking my camera along especially for this purpose.

thedarkmaster1986 has contributed a photo to this story.

My wife and I encountered this little fellow in the forested section of the Mt. Roberts Trail in the Tongass National Forest. (Higher elevations are just rock covered with brush and snow.)

Juan Poe has contributed a photo to this story.

The squirrel in my picture was sitting on a branch outside my window, waiting for me to leave.  He had been busy raiding my birdfeeders, and wanted to continue!  I have a lot of squirrel pictures in my photostream.  They're always in my yard, and although I get exasperated at constantly having to refill the feeders, they are funny to watch and photograph.

I took this photo yesterday of the squirrel with the peanut in his mouth..I could hardly stop laughing enough to take the photo..I hope you all enjoy it..We have lots of Black Squirrels who come to visit us here in Mississauga, Ontario CANADA.!!

I know squirrels are rodents, I've seen their destruction inside an attic... and raiding a bird feeder, HOWEVER, I do love the little critters. I have a few photos of them in Flickr. They are sometimes clowns for the camera.

This one was in a local park, running zigzags looking for something to eat, when he saw us toss a few peanuts, he stopped, stood on hind feet, cocked his head and waited until we tossed one his way, but nearer to us. He then ran to get it and, although he watched closely, he was able to let us get closer to him. At this park they are not so unafraid as to take food from a hand.

Jans_Photos has contributed a photo to this story.

Rodents, yes.  But some of us like them, all the same. We had them in an attic once.. noise, chewed wires, and all.  I still like them. People with cameras and squirrels seem to go together.   ;)

I love squirrels. I have 5 regulars that come every day. I even named them. They are so much fun to watch. They are natures acrobats. I love to photograph them and they work for peanuts. Where else can you get a model to work for just peanuts. :-) 

I feel bad for them in this cold weather. Poor things, how would you like to be out in the cold searching for food they has been hidden somewhere in the ground under the snow. I make sure they have food and water every day. Wish I could do something else to keep them warm. I hope there is a lot more people who feel the same way.

Cute little animals, my sister got bitten by one and had a terrible infection on her finger!

Very great article.

A new holiday to celebrate.

This squirrel in the picture is one of the family members of two large squirrel families that live on the property. Squirrels are such a lovely creature with each having very distinct personalities, which overtime can be appreciated just like a house pet, such as a Dog or Cat.
My favorite photography subject is wildlife and this was taken in the evening on a nice day in Florida.....I think he was hungry :)

Roger Beardmore has contributed a photo to this story.

I am an animal lover and I adore squirrels. I am always very sad when I see dog owners letting their dogs chase squirrels. Please pet owners, keep your dogs and cats away from wildlife. Most of the time, cats and dogs are well-fed and they don't need to kill to survive. For me  letting dogs chase squirrels is a form of animal cruelty. 

A lot of people don't like them because they are rodents.  They consider rodents to be pests. However if you take the time to understand the importance of the role they play, you will find that they perform a vital role in all ecosystems. 

"Squirrels are important in the succession of forests after major disturbances such as fire and assist the expansion of forests into fields and previously logged areas. 

Tree and flying squirrels likewise are important ecosystem engineers and play a significant role in the regeneration of forests around the world"

We need squirrels. Stop killing them.