Squirrels would possibly appear to be lovable, nut-hoarding furballs, however some are ruthless predators that hunt, tear aside, and devour voles.
That is the startling discovering of a brand new examine revealed Wednesday within the Journal of Ethology – the primary to doc widespread carnivorous conduct in these seemingly harmless creatures.
“There is always something new to learn and wild animals continue to surprise us,” lead writer Jennifer E. Smith, an affiliate professor of biology on the College of Wisconsin-Eau Claire advised AFP.
“In a changing world with many technological advances, there is no replacement for direct observation of natural history, including watching the squirrels and birds that often visit our backyards.”
The observations had been made this summer time, through the twelfth yr of a long-term examine carried out at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, California.
Between June and July, researchers recorded 74 interactions involving California floor squirrels and voles, with 42 % of them involving energetic searching of their fellow rodents.
Co-author Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral researcher on the College of California, Davis, admitted she was initially skeptical of the reviews dropped at her by undergraduate college students who first witnessed the conduct.
“I could barely believe my eyes,” mentioned Wild. However “once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.”
It was beforehand identified that as many as 30 species of squirrels opportunistically devour meat, starting from small fish to birds. Nonetheless, it was unclear whether or not this conduct stemmed from scavenging or energetic predation.
The brand new examine is the primary to verify that searching is, in actual fact, a standard conduct.
Researchers noticed squirrels crouching low to the bottom earlier than ambushing their prey, although extra usually, they chased voles, pounced, and delivered a neck chew adopted by vigorous shaking.
The examine additionally discovered that the squirrels’ carnivorous conduct peaked through the first two weeks of July, coinciding with a surge in vole populations reported by citizen scientists on the iNaturalist app.
Different animals, resembling raccoons, coyotes, and noticed hyenas, have been identified to adapt their searching methods in response to human-induced adjustments of their environments.
“In a altering world, it may be daunting to think about all the challenges that human presence, habitat loss, and local weather change impose on animals,” mentioned Smith.
“Our study offers an exciting silver lining, demonstrating the incredible flexibility that some animals possess.”
A number of questions nonetheless stay unanswered.
Researchers hope to analyze how widespread searching conduct is amongst squirrel species, whether or not it’s handed down from dad and mom to pups, and the way it impacts their broader ecosystems.
