This is a great story about some crafty California squirrels who have figured out how to deceive snakes — their predators — and survive.
Read: Squirrels Disguised as Snakes—Are Animals Smarter Than We Think?
California ground squirrels and rock squirrels have figured out an interesting way to confuse their predators, according to a new study by researchers at UC Davis. They chew up rattlesnake skin and smear it on their fur so that they smell like THEY are snakes too. This little “lie” is their way of telling the snakes, “don’t bite me, I’m one of you!”
Barbara Clucas, a graduate student in animal behavior at UC Davis, observed both ground and rock squirrels applying snake scent to themselves by picking up pieces of shed snakeskin, chewing it and then licking their fur.
Adult female squirrels and juveniles apply snake scent more often than adult males, which are less vulnerable to predation by snakes, Clucas said. The scent helps to mask the squirrel’s own scent, especially when the animals are asleep in their burrows at night, and to persuade a snake that only another snake is in the burrow rather than a tasty snack.
Our recent first-hand experience speaking to the operator of Salthaven confirms the intelligence of squirrels. We were told orphaned squirrels are easily and quickly released back into the wild, because they instinctively know how to find food. Raccoons, on the other hand, are very stupid and have to undergo extensive training before they can be set free again.
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