Fact of the Day .CA

In 2007 a group of researchers published a study of ground squirrels and rock squirrels that found the rodents are doing something very interesting: the squirrels chew up discarded rattlesnake skin and then lick their tail and flanks. This transfers the skin chemicals to the squirrel’s fur and makes them smell like snakes. Several theories were proposed. Perhaps the squirrel was trying to smell like a snake to scare away competitor squirrels. Or maybe it was used to confuse fleas and other parasites. Or perhaps the squirrels wanted to smell like rattlesnakes to ward off other rattlesnakes. The scientists took videos of the grooming behavior in 46 ground and rock squirrels. They concluded that because females and juvenile squirrels were much more thorough with their snake scent application it was primarily an antipredator defense, because these groups are much more vulnerable to rattlesnake predation.