There is no better way to start off the semester Tuesday than by celebrating National Squirrel Appreciation Day.

As if the little creatures don’t get enough attention, the appreciation day — created by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove — has quickly become our second-favorite holiday. (National Relaxation Day on August 15 is obviously the best.) We’ve collected lots of great information on our furry friends for your enjoyment as you undoubtedly wait in long lines to pick up textbooks, try not to dose off in your 11 a.m. class or take those long bus treks to buy groceries for the first time this semester.

According to National Geographic, there are more than 200 squirrel species around the world. Here is a video of the tiniest squirrel, the African pygmy, as a baby.

But they can actually grow to be as long as three feet.

Historically, squirrels have been known to cause some trouble. One of our favorite squirrel moments in history is when a stray squirrel shut down the NASDAQ system in 1987 by causing a power failure, according to the New York Times. In 1994, another squirrel chewed through an electric company’s power line, and the stock exchange’s own backup power system failed to kick in.

Despite these incidences of trouble, squirrels had a great 2013. From trying to drive a car to stealing food from cats and dancing Gangnam Style, they really were able to assert their presence as an important mammal. There is also a squirrel horror movie in the works to be released in 2014.

We all know squirrels continue to be a major player on the Berkeley campus. We have many Facebook pages dedicated to the creature, a lab devoted to studying squirrels and just an overall campus fascination with the animal that we love to feed. How can we not celebrate this day without all the recognition we usually give squirrels?

How are you going to celebrate the holiday:

How are you going to celebrate squirrel appreciation day? I hate squirrels I will end up feeding the squirrels Posting photos of squirrels I can’t believe this is a real appreciation day pollcode.com free polls

Image Source: do-not-touch-my-unicorn

Chloe Hunt is the blog editor. Contact her at [email protected]