[مــــريـــــــم]

Fasting of Ground Squirrels



By Dr. `Abd Al-Hakam `Abd Al-Latif As-Sa`idi

There are many types of squirrels in the world. Some live in trees, while others live in underground burrows. The ground squirrels fast for days at a time in winter.

Squirrels are vegetarian animals. Squirrels that live in places with cold winters are very active in the autumn. They gather nuts, pinecones, and seeds and hide them in various places to eat during the winter.


While tree squirrels do not hibernate, ground squirrels do. Their length of hibernation depends on where they live. In some areas they may remain dormant as long as eight months of the year. During hibernation, they are in a state of near suspended animation. Their heart rate slows to only a fraction of its normal rate, and they might breathe only once every couple of minutes. However, they wake up for a short period every four or five days to eat from their stored food.

When the warm weather begins in spring, the squirrels become fully awake and active. They hapily seek fresh provision that Allah has provided them.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** Lecturer of Entomology – Faculty of Agriculture – Al-Azhar University

Cant See Links

التوقيع :

قال الله تعالى (وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَى تَنفَعُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ)
وقال الله تعالى (فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ)