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This squirrel (see photo) appeared in a local garden during the recent fine weather. Can anyone explain the strange white appendages on its face?

• This squirrel has overgrown incisors. Rodents and similar species have incisors that grow continuously, and if they do not meet accurately with the opposing tooth, they do not get worn down and will just keep on growing until they break off or the animal dies from starvation. Often, a tooth will grow out and round into the eye or face. Either way, the animal will have great difficulty in obtaining enough food to survive.

“Rodents and similar species have incisor teeth that grow continuously and must be worn down”

As a veterinary surgeon, I was called upon to cut off excess tooth growth in much-loved pet rabbits and guinea pigs – even the odd pet rat. It had to be redone every three or four months. The cause is usually some congenital defect, or traumatic injury to the jaw or tooth root that causes it to grow askew.

This one may have been hibernating and only recently emerged, because it would have had great difficulty obtaining enough food in the autumn to last the whole winter.

Christopher Robinson, Albert Park, Victoria, Australia

This article appeared in print under the headline “Sabre-toothed squirrel”