Friday, December 11, 2009

The Old Man Of The Forest

I'd like to introduce you to Freeman. Freeman appears to be a very old squirrel of the fox variety. I guess you could say that he's the old man of the forest. He still gets around pretty well for an old man, but the signs of his age are still there nonetheless.

If you take a very close look just above his eyes you can see that the hair is just a little more gray than other fox squirrels might be. The rest of his fur also seems to be tinged with a little gray. His face has a bit of a weathered look that you might also find in very old human males.

Here's a special episode of Rat TV that features Freeman the wise old squirrel. He may not get around as well as some of the youngsters, but you'd never know it, you young whippersnapper! Videos can sometimes give us a better insight into these animals of the forest, especially the standouts like Freeman.

Take a look right behind his ears there. That is a patch of gray fur that Freeman is sporting. Also look at the top of his back and all over his tail. You can see a touch of gray all over him. I wonder how old this guy really is.

Take a look at Freeman's bent ears. I've seen old men with ears that look just like that. Sometimes these guys seem grumpy, but they really aren't. Stop and listen to what they have to say some time. They know a lot more than you do. A squirrel like Freeman could tell you how everything works.

Oh wait, I think he sees me! Hey there little guy...

"Hey there, you kid! Get off my lawn! ...Ah, wait a minute. Did I ever tell you about the time me and my brother took on five, no six, yup six other squirrels? They got too close to our tree and started running their mouths. I knocked out every last one of them, and my brother threw them in the ditch. It was one of the best times..."

Good old Freeman. I could listen to his stories for hours, but right now it's time to go.

"Hey! Wash out your ears or potatoes will start to grow from them!"

21 comments:

  1. It's an honor to meet "The Old Man of The Jungle"...
    I used to think that only human has white hair when ages. But I've just found out that squirrels too... What a discovery :)

    Btw I've added your blog in my Exotic Pets, please check your link in my blog here:

    http://exotic-pets.guruz-blog.com/links

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  2. This is such a wonderful post, Ratty! I really didn't think of old squirrels at all until you wrote this..

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  3. That might be the early traces of snow in Michigan.

    The fox squirrel is telling the weather forecast.

    I maybe right this time.

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  4. Freeman reminds me of my old "Bent Ear". He was old also and came to visit me for the last time the day he was dying. It was so sad. I got to know him well after a few years of him being around every day. But he fathered many children..Ha! Great post Ratty!!

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  5. I am developing a love of squirrels! Since reading your blogs, I no longer consider them a nuisance. Thank you.

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  6. You better listen to Freeman Ratty, or else he going to plant potato in your ear at night :D

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  7. And this time there's a video! Incredibly cool!

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  8. Lovely to see crispy dried leaves there... I live in Netherlands and it's quite rare here to see dry stuff as it rains almost daily.... :(

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  9. Well done, Ratty! You did a great job of following him and not shaking. Really helps people understand squirrels.

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  10. Hello old man! Did you meet him? Is he not within your family as rodents? You look similar though Ratty... I can imagine how it would be for a rat to meet a squirrell... sounds like Disney. ^^

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  11. Ratty, I love the video and I know it's tough to capture them on video since they are so quick. You know I never would have noticed gray hair on them until this post. He gets around pretty well for being the old man :)

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  12. Love the site.. great design, color combos, etc. The hiking sock link at the bottom.. do you sell these or is it an advertisement?

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  13. Freeman kinda sounds like my grandfather. he liked to tell stories too. Cute video. he's pretty quick for an old guy

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  14. Too cool Ratty! Maybe I'm not the oldest creature wandering about the woods. Nice video! Hey, I have put you on my Blogroll at www.wildramblings.com, hope that's OK. I don't know the protocol of this blog world, so let me know.

    I'm turning into one of your biggest fans.

    bill;www.wildramblings.com

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  15. Great video Ratty. Don't know how you manage it! How old do you think Freeman might be?

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  16. Great video Ratty, he still gets around pretty good to have all that gray fur. In your last pic, that pose is one of my favorites. When they do that it means they want to talk, just like you said.

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  17. Great photos - never really thought about aging squirrels, but you sure can see those white hairs! I'm thinking he qualifies as the world's cutest Senior Citizen :o)

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  18. @Juandy
    This is the first squirrel I've ever seen with this white hair. I've seen dogs get white hair on their muzzle, so I'm not surprised by this.
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    @Icy BC
    I thought of old squirrels before, but I never thought I would see such evidence of age on one.
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    @Rainfield
    Yeah, maybe the squirrel is really Old Man Winter. :)
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    @Ginnymo
    I actually thought of Bent Ear when I saw his gray fur. That's why I mentioned his ears in the post. I looked to see if they were bent.
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    @Wendyytb
    It's this blog that has helped me develop a love for squirrels too. I never thought of them very much before this. Now I realize what interesting little creatures they are.
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    @This is not my link
    I'll be doing videos often from now on. I hope they continue to be fun.
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    @Webbielady
    These dried leaves here are soon to be covered in snow. Only rain would be nice right now.
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    @Sharkbytes
    I did shake a little bit. I wish I could do a better job with the video. I have another video of a squirrel that I think is unwatchable.
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    @Fitme
    It sometimes looks like Disney to me too. I hope Disney puts me in the movie version.
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    @Poetic Shutterbug
    The gray hair is the only thing that gives a clue to his age. He moved pretty well. I never noticed gray before either.
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    @Time Outdoors
    The hiking socks link is just a kind of advertisement. I don't get anything from it really. It's just a courtesy link because their hiking site brings me a good amount of visitors. I'm just doing it to help them maintain their link site.
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    @Ann
    Freeman sounds like my grandfather too, he even shares the same name. That story he tells is based on the truth.
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    @Bill
    I think this squirrel has everybody's age beat, at least in squirrel years.

    It's perfectly fine that you put me on your blogroll. It's considered one of the best compliments in the blog world. Thank you very much. You have an excellent blog that I have come to greatly admire. I'll add you to mine as well.
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    @Buggys
    Fox squirrels reportedly live for about 8 to 12 years, so I think Freeman must be somewhere in that range. He's been very lucky to live so long.
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    @The Ancient Digger
    If I ever see a squirrel with a walker I might just run. Not before I take plenty of pictures though. :)
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    @SquirrelQueen
    Squirrels seem to want to talk with me more and more often now. I hope my relationship stays this good with them.
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    @Jen
    The great thing about that gray hair is that I can identify that cute senior citizen very easily now.

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  19. Maybe he isn't an old squirrel. Maybe he got his hair bleached and got liposuction and he came from California, the land of the beautiful squirrels. He might be one cool cat instead?

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  20. @The Retired One
    That could be it. He was being cool and he got his hair streaked with white.

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