I know you've been there. You're driving down the street, minding your own business, maybe jamming to some tunes, and then you see it: the freshly run-over squirrel. The body is flat like a pancake and somehow the tail is always still fluffy even though it has gone through severe trauma. It is not a pretty sight.

In the fall months, it is more common for squirrels to get hit by cars. This is because they are busy hoarding food for winter. Squirrels tend to scatter hoard food, which means that they find food like acorns and other seeds and then hide them in many different locations. Scatter hoarding is important to the environment because squirrels are forgetful and often can't remember where they hid their food. So, many times those seeds grow into trees and other plants.

During the fall, squirrels also try and fatten up to keep warm during the winter. That's why it is common to see squirrels in public hanging out by trash cans or waiting around for humans to drop pieces of food on the ground.

The squirrels at the University of Tulsa are very friendly. They are sometimes even too comfortable around students. On any given day, I can walk to class and get pretty close to the squirrels. Not that I always go out of my way to get close to squirrels, but if a squirrel is on the sidewalk on campus, I can get within at least a foot of it before it moves. Other times, the squirrel just minds his own business and I mind my own, and he just stays put and continues to eat his bread or whatever and I continue to walk to class.

So say a prayer for the squirrels as the weather turns colder. They are an important species and a lot of them are losing loved ones around this time. That being said, please don't put yourself in danger to save a squirrel (or raccoon, opossum, armadillo, etc.) who darts in front of your car. At the end of the day, your life is more precious than an animal's.