California Reported to Have Quasi-Cannibal Ground Squirrels
State’s squirrels spotted hunting and decapitating voles (another member of the rodent family). The study’s leader cited human-caused “climate change” while praising this adaptive dietary flexibility.
Recent biological research has revealed a shocking shift in the dietary habits of California ground squirrels.
Ground squirrels, which traditionally eat fruits and nuts, have now been observed actively hunting and consuming voles, another member of the rodent family. It is a behavior previously undocumented for this species.
This discovery was part of a long-term study conducted at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, California, as part of the Long-Term Behavioral Ecology of California Ground Squirrels Project.
On one occasion, scientists watched in horror as a squirrel ‘vigorously’ shook its prey while holding it in its mouth.
The observations have suggested that these nut foraging creatures are evolving into carnivorous predators.
‘This was shocking,’ said Dr Jennifer E. Smith, an associate professor of biology at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, who led the study.
‘We had never seen this behavior before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people.’
Researchers have documented killer carnivorous squirrels in California hunting and eating voles:
(Warning: graphic) pic.twitter.com/RbdfHaUHyW
— Steve McGuire (@sfmcguire79) December 19, 2024
According to the LA Times, the mad killing skills of the squirrels impressed the research team.
A video released by researchers shows a ground squirrel grabbing a vole by the neck and shaking it — clear predatory behavior meant to quickly kill prey, said Dan Blumstein, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA who studies marmots, a related species of large ground squirrel. In squirrels, most biological dietary factors, such as their teeth and stomachs, are adapted for vegetation such as nuts and seeds, not meat, he said.
Blumstein, before reading the details of the study, thought that the carnivorous behavior might have been isolated to female squirrels desperate for the nutrients needed to feed their young. But according to the study, the behavior was found in male and female squirrels across age groups. They displayed other behavior typically associated with predators: When one squirrel would successfully hunt down prey, another squirrel would sometimes try to steal it.
“I could barely believe my eyes,” Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral research fellow at UC Davis who co-led the project alongside Smith, said in a release. “From then, we saw that behavior almost every day. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.”
Of course, the UC Davis study “expert” quickly linked this behavior to environmental change caused by…humans.
Through videos, photos and direct observations at the regional park, the authors documented California ground squirrels of all ages and genders hunting, eating and competing over vole prey between June 10 and July 30.
The squirrels’ carnivorous summer behavior peaked during the first two weeks of July, coinciding with an explosion in vole numbers at the park reported by citizen scientists on iNaturalist. This suggests that the squirrels’ hunting behavior emerged alongside a temporary increase in the availability of prey, the study said. The scientists didn’t observe the squirrels hunting other mammals.
“The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviorally flexible and can respond to changes in food availability might help them persist in environments rapidly changing due to the presence of humans,” Wild said.
The study leader cited human-caused “climate change” while praising this adaptive dietary flexibility.
“In the face of human insults such as climate change and drought, these animals are resilient and have the potential to adapt to live in a changing world,” Smith adds.
If acorn or seeds fall into low supply, for instance, squirrels appear primed to find other sources of protein and nutrients. The less stubborn an animal is about its diet, the better suited it is for survival. Although in this case, the squirrels don’t seem to be motivated by a scarcity of any other food source, per SFGATE, rather, the high population of voles appears to be the reason for their hunting.
Frankly, there is only one conclusion I can draw from the data presented:
Avoid California, where even our squirrels are vicious killers. Our animal welfare agents wouldn't dare to take them on. pic.twitter.com/AnVbgXhrdC
— Leslie Eastman ☥ (@Mutnodjmet) December 21, 2024
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Comments
I once watched a grey squirrel stealing baby birds from their nest while the parent bird loudly tried to stop it. This was in Maryland, decades ago.
While shooting ground squirrels I saw them taking the bodies into their hole.
Yep. Watched ground Squirrels in Utah eat their road killed brothers all the way back in the 1990’s. California just wants to blame natural phenomenon on mam so they can control people’s behavior without resistance. The best thing Americans can do is resist idiot Californians….starting with Gavin Newsome.
It’s a well documented and studied behavior that male red squirrels and other species of squirrels defend their territory by biting off the testicles of squirrels attempting to entire and gain control. I don’t remember if it was studied as to whether or not they tossed the testicles into tiny frying pans with a bit of garlic for a meal or not.
Meat eating among rodents has been known for decades. No idea why this story is suddenly being splashed around.
I have read about this too. But hey, when preaching the cult of global warming, anything goes.
Most squirrel species have been documented eating voles, baby birds, and grubs.
What a shock (snort) that some minor variant species in California does too.
This news is as surprising as finding out a new group of academics waste federal grant money on studies that prove the need for DEI or that climate change is horrible …
LOL. “in horror”!!!
Those are some “scientists” …
Just a tad “sus”. I’d like to meet these so called scientists. Not very professional.
One rodent species eating another rodent species is not “quasi-cannibalism”. It’s not much different from birds eating other birds.
The only logical conclusion is that this has always been the nature of the ground squirrel, and it just hasn’t been observed until now. We’re always discovering new things — that’s the whole point of research. If everything about squirrels were already known there would be no point in studying them.
Farmers in my corner of the world hate ground squirrels (“squeaks”): they eat crops, burrow like mad through levies, and heavy farm equipment wheels can fall through a field’s surface and break an axel or worse (big $$$ to repair, and too much down time). And they breed 2 – 3 times a year.
As a longtime ground squirrel shooter, it’s not at all unusual to see ground squirrels eating other ground squirrels. I’ve seen 3 – 4 descend on one just-shot squirrel to begin eating it, whether or not it’s dead. I’ve also seen a shooter get a “4-fer” by shooting into the mass of flesh-eating squeaks.
I wonder if I should invite Jenn Smith (she/her) to come shoot squirrels with us.
” If everything about squirrels were already known there would be no point in studying them.”
Sure there would. Federal grant money.
I have to agree.
I immediately looked up the diets of voles, after reading this…..
“coinciding with an explosion in vole numbers at the park”.
They are ALSO primary vegetarians who when those food supplies are tight will prey on other, smaller critters.
So for whatever reason, vole population explodes, competing with ground squirrels for their veggies while simultaneously increasing the availability of delicious squirrel prey critters.
Rather then blame GCC or endemic racism or white privilege or whatever other lib vaporous bugaboo perhaps a seasonal jump in vole prey critters like insects (who also compete for veggies) is possible?
Also, just because it’s a “new” observation doesn’t mean it’s a new event, recall the “spotted owl” panic, closing down forestry work for an “endangered species” that wasn’t actually endangered or a separate species, anymore than black humans native to Africa are a separate species from white Europeans.
“that’s the whole point of research”
The whole point of research appears to take a well known fact (squirrels are omnivores) and assign what you observe, while horrified, on climate change.
But it was known before now and that’s the point. This behavior has been known for decades.
So says the nose-pierced, purple-haired vegan.
Don’t worry, they are not breeding and passing their defective genes down. I knew a girl that was a vegan because she was just turned off by the texture of meat and the idea of eating a living thing. She didn’t care if you had a steak but she wouldn’t eat one.
I am all for anything that takes out the voles in my yard!
Since this is being reported by a WI “scientist”, there is an inherent reason to doubt it. If it’s published by Scientific American, then we’ll KNOW that it’s hooey.
Lead “Scientist”:
Jenn is overly concerned with how other people talk about her.
Shouldn’t she call herself a “scientistess”, then?
Scientrix?
Flesh-eating squirrels? I knew it…
What do you expect when they see one of their brothers getting offed by the gubmint?!
Not too surprised.
Fear the squirrels.
As any sufficiently nerdy geek knows, the officially most powerful super hero in the a marvel pantheon is….. Squirrel Girl.
“Eating nuts. Kicking butts. No ifs, ands or buts. Thanos. Fin Fang Foom. Deadpool. They have all fallen to her squirrel-based might – all completely, indisputably in canon. Now the Sciuridae super hero is about to face her biggest challenge yet: majoring in computer science at Empire State University! Oh, and also Galactus. But that college thing is the really hard bit. Can the bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Doreen Green balance her studies with battling bad guys like Kraven the Hunter, Whiplash and – yes! – the Devourer of Worlds? And can she pull it all off without her new comp-sci friends seeing through her seemingly foolproof secret identity? With furry pal Tippy-Toe by her side and the best theme song in comics burrowing into your head, you’re about to find out why you just can’t beat Squirrel Girl!”
Not to mention Sandy, a frequent visitor to Bikini Bottom.
“Blumstein, before reading the details of the study, thought that the carnivorous behavior might have been isolated to female squirrels…”
But then:
“the authors documented California ground squirrels of all ages and genders”
Maybe some of them were “trans”?
I wondered if this behavior could be caused by the prevalence of phychoactive drugs in the environment, especially in CA?
Also, the picture is a tree squirrel, not a ground squirrel. “Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people.” Maybe not so much for ground squirrels, unless there are a lot of chipmunks or woodchucks in your area.
Yeah, I sure thought it looked a lot like our Eastern Grey Squirrel … but i’ve never hunted in California.
Tree Rat
“Quasi-Cannibal Ground Squirrels”
Screw this. My 2024 card is filled damn up, and I am not buying another one this late in the game.
It’s not the humans. It’s the meth.
I have to say, that squirrel in the pic at the top of the post looks an awful lot like Sandy Ocasio. Put a couple of tits on that squirrel and I don’t think 5 out of 10 people could tell the difference. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Sandy eats rodents, too … in season.
It’s California. The squirrels are only imitating the Democrats.
Revenge for PNut coming soon. If they eat Newsom I’ll contribute to their defense.
“I could barely believe my eyes,” Sonja Wild, a postdoctoral research fellow at UC Davis who co-led the project alongside Smith, said in a release.”
This chick is a postdoc? Maybe she should take a few minutes out of trying to tie everything to “climate change” and look at the literature. This type of behavior was known well before I was studying in the late 80’s.
Wait for it………
“Climate Change “
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