# Are Fat Squirrels A Sign Of Something? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 2, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822 "2011-12-02T10:17:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/1 "2011-12-02T10:17:32Z")
I live in Lincoln Park in Chicago and on my way home yesterday afternoon, I saw two of the biggest, fattest squirrels I’ve ever seen. OK I’m willing to admit, they could be fluffy and not fat, but still they looked huge. Then I looked around and all the squirrels seem to be fatter than I ever remember. Is this a sign of a bad winter to come? Or is it more that we had a nice summer and the squirrels are now getting the benefits of a bumper crop of food? What about your area? Anyone else notice this? Or ever notice something like it? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/2 "2011-12-02T11:35:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Are Fat Squirrels A Sign Of Something? The Apocalypse. Flee. Flee to the hills. Seriously? It means that: A) Somebody is feeding them and B) They are fluffing up their fur, against the cold. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/3 "2011-12-02T11:50:31Z")
The older squirrels around here are pretty hefty. The younger ones are more athletic. I would hypothesise that they had a bumper crop of food this year, because it is a very serious offense here to feed the animals (very hefty fine) and I’ve never seen anyone feed them or seen any food on the ground. The “Gestapo rules enforcers” are very aggressive here and it seems that not much gets past them. But it certainly is possible that someone is feeding them and not getting caught. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/4 "2011-12-02T12:51:08Z")
we have fat squirrels too, even the usually scrawny black ones are filled out. We have had a bumper crop of acorns this fall, or our squirrels aren’t blind! ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/5 "2011-12-02T13:11:23Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > The Apocalypse. > > Flee. > > Flee to the hills. Careful, **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor**. Every time the Apocalypse is mentioned in jest, God has a whale beach itself on a baby seal in full view of a dolphin. **BeaMyra** , the squirrels are not fat. What are you trying to do? Give them a body complex and an eating disorder? ---
**Author:** ![Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bag_of_mostly_water/32/1029_2.png) [@Bag\_of\_Mostly\_Water](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bag_of_Mostly_Water)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/6 "2011-12-02T13:22:25Z")
Based on what I’m seeing in the local oak and maple trees, this seems to be a [mast year](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mast_year). So, there’s lots of food for cute furry mammals. ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/7 "2011-12-02T13:40:29Z")
Sure they are gearing up for winter by eating more and growing more of a coat, but they also could be pregnant squirrels you are seeing. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/8 "2011-12-02T13:53:45Z")
I for one welcome our new fat squirrel overlords. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/9 "2011-12-02T14:52:08Z")
[C Kennel](http://www.gocomics.com/dogsofckennel/2011/11/21) is in Chicago? I don’t recall any wolf packs around there except maybe in Brookfield Zoo. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/10 "2011-12-02T14:56:46Z")
> [@BeaMyra](#): > > I saw two of the biggest, fattest squirrels I’ve ever seen. Its not nice to call [squirrels fat](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfh4Mhp-a6U)… ---
**Author:** ![missinformation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d07c76/32.png) [@missinformation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missinformation)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/11 "2011-12-02T15:01:34Z")
They must have come up from our back yard…they stripped our pecan tree bare this year… ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/12 "2011-12-02T15:02:08Z")
They are fat because they are lazy, sitting on the couch all day eating pizza and bonbons and drinking fruity drinks flavored with high-fructose corn syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/13 "2011-12-02T15:10:02Z")
Hey, we have a local pub called [The Fat Squirrel](http://www.fatsquirrelpub.com/)! ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/14 "2011-12-02T15:25:59Z")
> [@Al\_Bundy](#): > > Sure they are gearing up for winter by eating more and growing more of a coat, but they also could be pregnant squirrels you are seeing. Really? they raise babies through winter? guess so, that would explain the fat black squirrel I saw “eating” oak leaves - he/she took it up the tree and there I noticed a big ass “nest” - babies! ---
**Author:** ![Vihaga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Vihaga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vihaga)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/15 "2011-12-02T15:46:03Z")
The ones in our yard are also fat as toads even compared to most years, but the oak trees around here dropped more acorns than I’ve seen in ages, so I’m assuming that’s it. ---
**Author:** ![alfabex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@alfabex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alfabex)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/16 "2011-12-02T15:52:15Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Really? they raise babies through winter? guess so, that would explain the fat **black** squirrel I saw “eating” oak leaves - he/she took it up the tree and there I noticed a big ass “nest” - > > babies! (Bolding mine) What does her being black have to do with anything? ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/17 "2011-12-02T16:12:32Z")
> [@BeaMyra](#): > > I live in Lincoln Park in Chicago and on my way home yesterday afternoon, I saw two of the biggest, fattest squirrels I’ve ever seen. OK I’m willing to admit, they could be fluffy and not fat, but still they looked huge. [Jules] I wouldn’t go so far as to call the squirrels fat, I mean they got a weight problem. What are they gonna do? They’re Samoan. [/Jules] ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/18 "2011-12-02T16:15:26Z")
Those weren’t squirrels, they were genetically engineered mini-marmots. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/19 "2011-12-02T16:21:18Z")
One thing I’ve noticed every fall when I go back to Cleveland for a week: Ohio squirrels are almost always bigger, fatter and glossier than our central NC squirrels. Don’t know if it’s the food or the weather or what, but Ohio squirrels could probably kick NC squirrel ass with one paw tied their backs. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822/20 "2011-12-02T16:29:48Z")
> [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](#): > > Careful, **Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor**. > > Every time the Apocalypse is mentioned in jest, God has a whale beach itself on a baby seal in full view of a dolphin. Yes, and then he beaches a dolphin in full view of a filthy hippie, and your point is? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-fat-squirrels-a-sign-of-something/604822.md?page=2)