Thompson Rivers University will host the world’s arboreal squirrel experts at the Fifth International Colloquium on Arboreal Squirrels, July 31 to August 4.

The conference, focusing on only those squirrels that spend some or part of their lives in trees (‘arboreal squirrels’), has attracted some 50 to 60 delegates from as far away as Germany, Spain and Japan.

“The squirrel family is actually quite broad: it includes chipmunks (the smallest squirrels) up to prairie dogs, groundhogs, and marmots (the largest squirrels). “The arboreal squirrels are unique in that they have evolved to spend a large part of their life off of the ground,” said Dr. Karl Larsen, TRU’s resident squirrel expert and organizer of the conference. “The consistent, underlying connection that brings researchers together for these meetings is a shared scientific interest in arboreal squirrels: taxonomy, conservation, evolution, management, ecology, behaviour, and a host of other aspects that find their place in these conferences”

Approximately every three years the world’s tree squirrel researchers meet to exchange reports on their research, exchange ideas on future research, and find ways to cooperate. The meetings also are a great opportunity for new squirrel researchers (often graduate students) to meet other more established researchers. The last colloquium was in Periyar, India in 2006. The next is tentatively set for Japan, the home of the world’s largest flying squirrel, aptly named the “Giant Flying Squirrel” as it can weight over 1 kg.

“Our goal is to continue the tradition of making these gatherings rewarding and enjoyable,” said Larsen. “We are extending a hearty welcome to all of the conference registrants, and a particular thanks to those who have travelled considerable distances to share their interest and knowledge in arboreal squirrels.

The conference includes optional field trips to the lower-elevation arid grassland ecosystem and up into the montane forests to visit two local study sites as well as the Kamloopa Pow Wow.

Nut ‘graphs about squirrel research:

• Some tree squirrels are very common, like the local North American red squirrel. And, when they are common, they are usually quite visible compared to other forest animals, and they are fairly easy to study. This makes them great subjects for ecological research where biologists are trying to understand how the environment and changes to it affects wildlife In many places tree squirrels are also preyed upon by a number of predators, so they are important ‘links’ in forest food chains. Flying squirrels, like our northern flying squirrel, also have been associated with old growth forests, which has generated a lot of interest in what forest conditions are necessary to keep them present. They eat fungi that are beneficial to forests, and as they digest the fungi, they spread spores around the forest.
• Another reason to study squirrels is that not all of them are common…some are highly endangered, like the Mount Graham Red Squirrel in Arizona, or some flying squirrel species in various parts of the world. So, again, they become the subject of conservation studies trying to understand why the animals may be declining, and how these declines can be stopped
• Some squirrels are great invaders! All you have to do is go down to the west coast of British Columbia or onto Vancouver Island to see how the Eastern Grey Squirrel (native to eastern North America) has become established. The same applies in England and other parts of the world, where introduced squirrels are impacting local ecosystems. Getting rid of these squirrels once they are established is not very easy, maybe even impossible…so research is needed to understand how the invasive squirrels are impacting the local ecosystem, and what can be done to at least minimize their impact.
• Tree squirrels provide a great opportunity to study how animals have adapted to their environment, or ‘evolutionary ecology’ Some squirrels hoard a lot of food in once place, while others scatter it around – why is that? Why do some squirrels rigorously defend their territories, and others have more social interactions with others of their kind? How are some tree squirrels adapted to feed on hard pine cones (if you have ever tried to open a lodge pole pine cone, you will now just how difficult this can be, but our local red squirrel makes it look easy). And, think about the flying squirrels, which don’t actually fly, but they glide: what an incredible way to move around through the forest. How did this evolve, and what are the mechanics and costs of doing this?

Contact: Dr. Karl Larsen, Assistant Professor Natural Resource Science, (p) 250.828.5456, or
250.828.5467 (e) klarsen@tru.ca