Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Smelly Squirrels Are Not So Tastey

In a recent study done it was proven that snakes tend me to be picky eaters. Squirrels have picked up on the idea that they smell like a delicious meal and have started doing something to change it. Females squirrels will chew on rattlesnake skin that has been shedded and left on the ground. They will then lick their young and themselves so smell less like a squirrel. In a study conducted at the University of California at Davis, it was shown that snakes are not as interested in a squirrel after licking themselves with the snake skin as they would be with a squirrel that had not done this odd behavior. It is clear that the squirrels new behavior is a life saving one. Lets just hope that the rattlesnakes don't turn cannibalistic; that would be a problem for the squirrels...again.

Posted By: Katie Berthiaume

3 Comments:

At 11:11 PM, Blogger PWH said...

This is an interesting study. I'm wondering how the squirrels learned to mask their scent with the snakes' scent.

 
At 9:26 PM, Blogger PWH said...

This is a very cool concept. The idea that a squirrel will change its scent in order to avoid predation. This was very well written, although it was a little short. But it was good.

Posted By:

Andrew R. Thompson (9)

 
At 10:57 PM, Blogger PWH said...

That is very interesting I think. Maybe some other animals may do the same thing to protect themselves from being eatten.

Posted By: Xuni Li(9)

 

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