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I've only been abroad one time, and there were little gecko/lizard things everywhere, climbing up walls and scurrying across roads, and nobody cared. I was constantly fascinated but to the locals they're just kinda there.

Bonus question to anyone who visited the UK - was there anything that fascinated you but I'd be taking for granted?

Pic unrelated.

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[-] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 69 points 12 hours ago

When I visited the US I was excited to see squirrels running around. We don't have squirrels where I'm from. We took pictures.

It must have looked like we were excited to witness a cloud in the sky.

[-] CanadaPlus@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 54 minutes ago* (last edited 54 minutes ago)

I'd guess people from monkey countries feel the same way about them impressing us. They're in similar niches and everything.

[-] Monument@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 hour ago

Mirroring what others have said - at a nearby university that has (had? sigh) a large foreign student population, some folks actively feed the squirrels. For several weeks at the beginning of the school year, you could very easily spot new students by who was out taking photos and getting mobbed by these squirrels that are way, way too comfortable getting close to humans.

[-] CatDogL0ver@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

No squirrels? You from Greenland? Antarctica?

[-] Landless2029@lemmy.world 32 points 9 hours ago

I saw my first chipmunk last week and I totally screamed oh shit there's Alvin! in my heart.

Don't let your inner child die!

[-] Trubble@startrek.website 8 points 7 hours ago

I grew up in rural US, squirrels everywhere. Still fascinated by them! Moved to the southwest, was sad there weren't trees and squirrels out here. Then saw my first (closely followed by like a dozen more out in the area) ground squirrel! Some touristy areas they will line up all cute doing tricks for scraps of food. They've learned our oohs and aahs generate treats.

[-] jimmux@programming.dev 12 points 8 hours ago

Chipmunks did it for me. They look and act so much like cartoon critters I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

[-] klemptor@startrek.website 4 points 7 hours ago

I love chipmunks! Such a big squeak from such a tiny body, plus I love their pointy tails :)

[-] hovercat 14 points 11 hours ago

I love when people see deer here in North America. You'd think they're seeing a unicorn, when it's just some plain ol' mule deer.

[-] Trainguyrom@reddthat.com 2 points 2 hours ago

I've seen deer just wander through my yard in town

[-] Eq0@literature.cafe 1 points 3 hours ago

Totally me in the US! Deers in Europe are stuff for natural parks!

[-] NABDad@lemmy.world 10 points 10 hours ago
[-] affenlehrer@feddit.org 19 points 11 hours ago

I was a bit excited that the US squirrels are gray and large, we have smaller red ones in Germany.

[-] CatDogL0ver@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago

American squirrels can be aggressive. I was eating an apple one day and I kid you not, a squirrel jumped at me and took it from my hand.

[-] BrainBow65@lemmy.world 14 points 11 hours ago

If you really want to see huge squirrels check out a US college campus. They're so fat!

[-] affenlehrer@feddit.org 3 points 11 hours ago
[-] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 5 points 8 hours ago

A squirrel in a public park near me climbed up on me to get to the peanuts I was holding, no fear. It was also absurdly obese.

[-] CatDogL0ver@lemmy.world 2 points 3 hours ago

I got a squirrel took my apple away from my hand!

[-] Blisterexe@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 hours ago

Jesus how strong was that squirrel

[-] blackn1ght@feddit.uk 7 points 10 hours ago

We have grey squirrels in the UK, although they're not native. They're responsible for the decline in native red squirrels, you rarely see them now unless you go to particular areas.

[-] Eq0@literature.cafe 1 points 3 hours ago

Not only UK. As far as I know the same problem is spreading around all of mainland Europe. US squirrels have a better immune system and a more varied diet, they are also more aggressive and territorial. They are slowly replacing indigenous red squirrels.

[-] roofuskit@lemmy.world 9 points 11 hours ago

We have different colored squirrels in some regions.

https://wildlifeinformer.com/types-of-squirrels/

You'll need and extra SD card next time you visit.

[-] affenlehrer@feddit.org 14 points 11 hours ago

Ah, very cool. Maybe I'll visit again once the current presidency ends. If that's ever going to be the case.

[-] WindyRebel@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago

I love this and was about to post something similar because my family met a family from Australia at Disney World and the little girl was SO excited about the squirrels. It was adorable.

I live in the Midwest, so squirrels are just always there.

[-] AlligatorBlizzard@sh.itjust.works 8 points 10 hours ago

Used to work at Disney World. Can confirm the squirrel amazement. (And I worked at Animal Kingdom, the squirrels occasionally got more attention than the actual zoo animals. Although the local ibises hanging out with the spoonbills were still cool.)

[-] toynbee@lemmy.world 12 points 11 hours ago

When I visited Canada from the US, my extended family and I drove in separate cars, thereby arriving at separate times spread out over a few hours.

Every group of us took basically the same picture when we arrived because we'd previously only seen brown squirrels and there was a solid, dark black one running around in the back yard.

[-] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 3 points 10 hours ago

Oh wow. I saw a squirrel once in Catalonia. Wonderful sight.

this post was submitted on 29 Aug 2025
265 points (100.0% liked)

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