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New research published in the Journal of Ethology documented California ground squirrels of all ages and genders hunting and eating voles.
The man is a caretaker of Mangala indoor stadium.
Squirrels were always thought to be primarily vegetarians who enjoy eating seeds and nuts and often bury them underground as well to get through colder months of the year. But for the first time, California ground squirrels were seen chasing and killing voles.
‘Never seen this before’
Squirrel expert Dr Jennifer Smith of the University of Wisconsin told The Telegraph, “This was shocking. We had never seen this behaviour before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people. We see them right outside our windows; we interact with them regularly.”
He told the publication, “Yet here’s this never-before-encountered-in-science behaviour that sheds light on the fact that there’s so much more to learn about the natural history of the world around us.”
This comes as researchers have been following squirrel populations at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County since 2010. Researchers found that out of 74 observed interactions with voles between June and July this year, 42 per cent involved active hunting by ground squirrels.
‘Could barely believe my eyes’, expert says
Dr Sonja Wild of the University of California said as per the publication that she was shocked to see this strange behaviour of the squirrels. She said, “I could barely believe my eyes. From then, we saw that behaviour almost every day. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.”
This comes as new research published in the Journal of Ethology documented California ground squirrels of all ages and genders hunting and eating voles.
Dr Sonja Wild explained, “The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviourally flexible and can respond to changes in food availability might help them persist in environments rapidly changing due to the presence of humans.”
- Location :
California, USA