Squirrels are among the most familiar creatures to the average American. They can be found everywhere from way out in the country to the middle of New York City. Yet as familiar as they may be, it seems there's still plenty we don't know about them.
A recent study from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and the University of California, Davis, published in the Journal of Ethology revealed a surprising finding about California ground squirrels: They can be carnivorous.
What's happening?
In 2024, field researchers at Contra Costa County's Briones Regional Park observed ground squirrels hunting and eating voles. This is shocking information for anyone who sees squirrels out and about on a regular basis, but it was even more shocking for the researchers. They'd been following squirrel behavior for 12 years before making the observation.
"I could barely believe my eyes," study lead author Jennifer E. Smith said, according to ScienceDaily. "We had never seen this behavior before."
While this newly observed behavior may fit the early scenes of a monster movie, researchers don't quite see it that way. They believe the actions are simply an indication that they know far less than they thought they did about this familiar species.
The carnivorous behavior coincided with a boom in the local vole population. This suggests that California ground squirrels are not strictly granivorous but rather opportunistic omnivores. Like all species, they adapt to the shifting ecosystem and make do with what's available to them.
Why is tracking squirrel behavior important?
While it may seem like a remarkably small corner of the world to focus on for 12-plus years, tracking California ground squirrel behavior is critical. It helps us understand the role they play in the ecosystem, the threats they face, and the needs they have. Knowing these things allows us to better protect them and the environment as a whole.
Researchers all over are observing the behavior of different animals. For instance, there's a group using tiny backpack trackers to better understand hummingbirds in the Colombian Andes. There's also the U.K. conservationists tracking rare animals using drone technology.
What's being done about carnivorous squirrels?
As the researchers noted, this further proves that squirrels are able to adapt to their surroundings when it comes to their hunting behavior.
The group will return to the same locale in summer to observe the effect the vole hunting has on squirrel reproduction and offspring.
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