Several times now the orava have come to visit as I sit and type by one of the windows in Juovva (where I am staying at Kevo).
The Orava
The Latin name for the orava is Sciurus vulgaris. As you can see from the photo, the Eurasian red squirrel is different from the American red squirrel, whose Latin name is Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. In summer the orava’s coat is brown, but in winter they have longer, thicker gray fur. You can tell this squirrel is in the process of shedding its winter coat.
The ear tufts on these critters really look fantastic. "Too Cute" would be a good way to describe them! Apparently these are a common squirrel in Eurasia, and live about three years if they make it through their first winter.
Sammy the Sik Sik
There happens to be another squirrel visiting Juovva, Sammy the Sik Sik. A sik sik is an Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii). Sammy is a very special sik sik that is the mascot of another PolarTREC teacher, Alicia Gillean. She is based at the Toolik Field Station on the north slope of Alaska, and is working with Arctic ground squirrels. Check out her journals!
Alicia asked people to take Sammy on his own adventures, so Sammy the Sik Sik came to Finland. As you can tell, he gets along really well with Scotty!
There are no ground squirrels around here. There are plenty of trees, so the tree-living orava is well adapted to the ecosystem around Kevo.
Field Day Bonus for a cold, windy day: Flowers!
Petsikko and the surrounding area were just a-blooming with flowers today!
One of my favorites is the cottongrass:
Then there is the tiny mountain heath flower that overwhelms not with size but with numbers…
Comments