20 Silly Squirrel Memes to Gently Scamper Into Your Day

Ayala Sorotsky • Writer and Editor

Apr 30, 2026 6:45 AM EDT

Squirrels are actually not as silly as people might think, but they sure are silly enough to open the day with a smile.

Think of the classic example of squirrels' silliness - that they forget 80% of their buried nuts, which they spend a lot of time and energy foraging for, eventually forgetting them in the ground, which contributes to tree growth. Well, tree growth is great and all, but that doesn't come from an 80% forgetfulness of local squirrels - that's a myth. Yes, the silliest squirrel fact is not true. Contrary to the 80% nut loss myth, research suggests that squirrels actually do remember a large portion of their caches. Apparently, their silly little brains are very good at spatial memory and mental mapping.

So what's the real percentage of nuts squirrels retrieve? It's more around 90%-95%. Yes, these little critters remember very well most of their nut-hiding places. What contributes to the 80% forgetting myth might be a strange but clever behavior squirrels do - they use "deceptive caching". It's a smart foraging strategy where they dig fake holes to fool competitor squirrels, which can make it seem like they have forgotten a stash when they never actually put a nut there in the first place.

Apparently, squirrels aren't that silly after all. But they make up for it by being a small, scampering bunch, that spreads nuts and happiness alike. To be honest, realizing how smart they actually are just makes us appreciate them even more. But are they still cutie patootie animals we will always "aww" over? Absolutely yes.

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We had to include one meme about the nut forgetting misconception - it's still one of the funniest sub-genres of animal memes. Just thinking of these little floofs scampering around like they don't know where's left and where's right, looking for something they forgot they even needed to remember. This mental image never fails to put a smile on our faces.
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Well, if squirrels eat anything but nuts and embody what they ate… does it mean that the “regular” squirrel we all know and love is the embodiment of a nut? Is this the animal form of a nut? Actually… it makes sense when you really think about it. Headcannon accepted.
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