Squirrel

[Flutterby]

[Lisbeth]

[Richprins]

[Richprins]

Kruger Sightings
@LatestKruger
Rare Black Squirrel sighted in the Hoedspruit Wildlife estate this morning
Near the Timbavati Game Reserve, Greater Kruger
Tinged by Jayden
10:40 AM · Jan 29, 2021

[Alf]

Did someone paint it

[Lisbeth]

That's new Funny too

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

Also the squirrels are begging now

[Lisbeth]

Even the squirrels have a personality


As with domestic animals, species considered "wild" can behave differently according to their individual characteristics

The funny expressions painted on the "faces" of their pets often lead owners to wonder what is on their minds. But if it is easy to guess the disposition of a puppy dog ​​or cat based on its behaviour at home and on the street, in contact with the surrounding reality, it is certainly much more complex to understand what the hidden "character" of wild animals is. Among the many, it is the squirrels that capture the attention of science: it seems, in fact, that these small rodents that populate the city parks have, like Fido and Fufi, their own personality that is expressed in completely unique and different ways.

In this case, the term "personality" can be very ambiguous. As far as squirrels are concerned, in fact, we speak of a series of characteristics and variables that influence the behavioural, cognitive and emotional models of the individual animal, defining and differentiating it from its peers in this respect. It is a recent study conducted by the prestigious University of California to affirm it: it seems that the character of the tender rodent can change in four aspects or, better, traits. The experiments carried out on a selected sample of the wild population of "golden-mantled citadel", a species widespread in the forests of the United States and Canada, led to the delineation of these four personality traits of the squirrel. Specifically, we talk about the different levels of courage, aggression, activity and, finally, sociability.

The results of the research have found wide resonance in the scientific field, as they have opened new avenues for understanding animal behaviour. In fact, Californian scholars have shown that the most peaceful specimens among those subjected to the various tests are also those less likely to go far from their burrows, a favourite activity of the more aggressive squirrels and more predisposed to colonizing new areas. With these new data, it is possible to make more detailed predictions on the type of reaction that these animals could have in the event of catastrophic events, to be able to create more functional conservation strategies of the species and to recognize the weight that the character of the individual specimen can have on the collectivity.

[Richprins]