We all know what it is like during the winter. Cold, dark and miserable, it’s a time for staying indoors and eating plenty of food to keep us going until the better weather approaches. It appears that we haven’t been the only species to pile on a little winter weight – squirrels are doing the same! This can be blamed for the unusually mild winters recorded across parts the world, which saw many trees retain their nuts and seeds much later than they traditionally do. So squirrels have found themselves with an abundance of winter munchies, which has been helped by the fact they don’t hibernate, so have plenty of time to scour for food. Squirrels need to build up fat reserves over the winters to keep them warm, so eat as much as they can to help with this, but the fact that they have more food than usual has provided us with the hilarious sight of some rather pudgy looking squirrels throughout Europe North America. Their fur also thickens up over winter, which clearly isn’t helping them look slim!