Everything you've wanted to know about squirrels but were too afraid to ask

I recently moved to Riverside, one of Windsor's older neighbourhoods. It's full of beautiful trees, including one in my front yard.

As a result, my street is also full of squirrels.

Growing up, I lived in newer subdivisions, which didn't have many. Soin my new neighbourhood, I've become fascinated and frustrated with the animals. As we settled into our new home, I found myself compiling a list of questions about my furry neighbours, including:

• Most of the squirrels on my street are black, but there's one with a slightly more brownish hue. Am I seeing things?
• Should my neighbours really be feeding the squirrels?
• Why areso many of them losing patches of fur recently?

For answers, I reached out to John Koprowski, co-author of a book calledSquirrels of the Worldand professor at the University of Arizona. Though currently based in Tucson, Ariz., Koprowskigrew up near Cleveland, Ohio and has been to Windsor many times.

Koprowski was kind enough to patiently answer all my questions and more.

Tap on the audio player to hear me tell Afternoon Drivehost Chris dela Torre about some of the highlights of thatconversation.