With their bushy tails and puffy cheeks, squirrels are often seen as cute animals.
But a new study has photographed the rats in a new light.
Scientists have taken amazing pictures of California Ground squirrels hunt, kill, and then eat voles.
Until now, squirrels have been considered ‘granivorous’ animals, but this new image shows that squirrels are changing to carnivores.
‘This was amazing,’ said Dr Jennifer E. Smith, assistant professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who led the study.
‘We have never seen this behaviour. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to humans.
‘We see them outside our windows; we talk to them regularly.
‘But here is a quality of science that has never been encountered before that helps us understand the fact that there is much to learn about the natural history of the world around us.’
With their bushy tails and puffy cheeks, squirrels are often seen as cute animals. But a new study has photographed the rats in a new way
Scientists have captured stunning images of California squirrels hunting, killing, and then eating voles.
Until now, squirrels have been considered ‘granivorous’ animals, but this new image shows that squirrels are changing to carnivores.
The scientists were watching squirrels at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County when they noticed the unusual behavior.
Between June 10 and July 30, they were surprised to see California squirrels of all ages, both male and female, hunting, eating, and competing for meat.
Of the 74 who observed interactions with voles, nearly half (42 percent) involved hunting these small rodents with squirrels.
Their carnivores peaked in the first two weeks of July, which saw an explosion in the numbers of groups in the park.
According to the researchers, this shows that their hunting behavior came out with a short-term increase in the availability of animals.
Sonja Wild, author of the study, said: ‘The fact that California ground squirrels are adaptive and can respond to changes in food availability may help them to survive in areas that are changing rapidly due to human presence.’
Although the researchers have been studying squirrels for many years, they were surprised by what they found.
Dr Wild added: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
Scientists watching squirrels at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County noticed unusual behavior.
Between June 10 and July 30, they were surprised to see California squirrels of all ages, both male and female, hunting, eating, and competing for wild game.
Of the 74 who observed interactions with voles in the center, nearly half (42 percent) involved hunting small rodents and squirrels.
‘We saw that behavior almost every day.
‘Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.’
Several questions about this new diet remain unanswered.
This includes how the behavior is spreading among squirrels, how and whether it is passed from parent to child, and how it affects natural processes.
However, the team plans to return to the park next summer to see if there are any long-term effects on the voles or the squirrels themselves.
