It's autumn time. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colour. The leaves are also falling, and so are these chestnuts and acorns.
Autumn is a busy time for squirrels. They are gathering nuts and acorns.
Found one!
Squirrels need to hide food in the ground ready for winter when there's not much food around. When winter comes, there's no food on the trees, so they find their buried nuts in the ground. They use their amazing sense of smell to lead them to their winter stash of food.
Squirrels are very clever creatures. It's not just trees where they get their nuts from. Squirrels like to raid the nuts from bird feeders the people have put in their gardens.
Squirrels aren't just clever - they're fantastic climbers as well. They use their tiny feet to cling on and their bushy tail for balancing.
This cheeky squirrel knows another place to look for food.
Sometimes people like to make it tricky for the squirrels to steal the nuts from the bird feeders. The squirrels have a nutty problem to solve.
And just to show you how clever squirrels really are, here's a specially built squirrel puzzle for this smart squirrel to solve. First, it's up the pole. Then a big jump onto a spinning wheel. A tricky clamber across these chains. Through a tube. And along the spinning barrels. And then a huge leap and into this rocket, which she pushes along. Then a final big jump to her prize of yummy hazelnuts.
Squirrels really are clever animals, aren't they?
Video summary
A short video about the preparations squirrels make for the winter and their clever collection of nuts.
The clip includes a grey squirrel completing an assault course to retrieve some nuts.
This clip comes from the 大象传媒 series, Our Planet, Squirrels and Animals in the Snow.
Teacher Notes
This clip could provide a discussion point as to why animals store food up for winter.Pupils could design and make their own squirrel assault course or game.The clip could be used to provide a starting point to discuss which other animals store food for the winter and their hibernation.
This clip is relevant for teaching Science at KS1 in England and Wales, Foundation and KS1 in Northern Ireland, and early level and first level in Scotland.
The difference between nocturnal and diurnal animals. video
Discover how animals that hunt and forage at night are quiet, while those active in the daytime make lots of noise.
How have different animals adapted to their habitats? video
Explore how four separate climates lead to very different animal adaptations in lizards, camels, bats and penguins.
The problems facing seabirds. video
Birds flying south for winter find their journey fraught with human-made dangers.
Why did the brown bear evolve into the polar bear? video
Bears migrate to the frozen Arctic and find it difficult to hunt seals until they gradually evolve to suit their habitat.
Why does the giraffe have a long neck? video
Giraffes compete for food with other animals of the African plains and adapt over time.
What is a food chain? video
Explore simple food chains, in which plants are eaten by prey animals, which are eaten by predators.
Rock pools. video
Discover how plants and animals in a beach tide pool have found ways to survive the constantly changing sea levels.
Where do owls live? video
Find out how owls survive in the snow, in forests, and even in deserts thanks to their wise adaptations.
Animals. collection
A collection of KS1 science clips about animal classification. Watch simple introductions to fish, amphibians, marine life, egg-laying animals, spiders, animals with patterns and nocturnal wildlife.
