Squirrels Caught Hunting and Eating Meat for the First Time

When you think of squirrels, you probably picture cute, furry-tailed rodents with faces stuffed with nuts. Last summer, however, researchers filmed California ground squirrels viciously digging into rodent flesh.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (UW-Eau Claire) and the University of California, Davis (UC) have documented California ground squirrels hunting, killing and eating small rodents called voles, which are The first documented evidence of eating meat. Their findings were detailed in a Dec. 18 report study exist Journal of Animal Behaviorreminds us that even our understanding of common animals is far from complete.

“We have never seen this behavior before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals,” Jennifer E. Smith of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire said in a talk at the University of California, Davis. statement. “We see them right outside our windows; we interact with them on a regular basis. Yet this behavior, never encountered in science, sheds light on the fact that there is still much to learn about the natural history of the world around us.

Smith co-leads the California ground squirrel long-term behavioral ecology project with Sonya Wilder of the University of California, Davis, who also contributed to the study. Last summer, in the program’s 12th year, researchers observed that ground squirrels were actively hunting voles in 42 percent of their interactions with small rodents.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Wilder said. “Since then, we’ve been seeing this behavior almost every day. Once we started looking, we found it everywhere.

The team, which included undergraduate students, documented California ground squirrels hunting, eating and competing for voles in Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County in June and July 2024. Peaks occur during the first two weeks of the month, overlapping with a sudden onset of carnivorous behavior.

In fact, squirrels may already be hunting voles because According to the study, this increase. Scientists previously thought California ground squirrels were carnivores, but now researchers believe they may actually be opportunistic omnivores.

“The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviorally flexible and able to respond to changes in food availability may help them survive in their environment. [that are] Rapidly changing due to human presence,” Wilder explains.

“Through this collaboration and the incoming data, we were able to document this widespread behavior that we didn’t know was happening,” Smith added. “Digital technology can inform science, but there’s no substitute for getting out and seeing animals in action, because animals are always surprising us with what they do.”

Although the team still has many questions, including how common this behavior is, how or whether it is passed down to the next generation, and how it affects ecological processes, the study upends scientists’ understanding of one of the best-known animals living nearby. understanding.