Sacramento, December 26. For the first time, scientists have discovered the carnivorous behavior of squirrels: they hunt and devour voles in California , United States.
In an unprecedented finding, ground squirrels, known for storing nuts, seeds and grains in their cheeks, have also been revealed to have a carnivorous side .
Documented in a paper published in the Journal of Ethology , the discovery suggests that these squirrels are opportunistic omnivores, with a much more versatile diet than previously thought.
In the study, led by researchers at the University of California, Davis, 74 interactions between ground squirrels and voles were analyzed during June and July.
Surprisingly, more than 42 percent of these interactions involved active hunting of small rodents by squirrels, redefining our understanding of their feeding behavior.
Jennifer E. Smith, associate professor of biology and senior author of the study, described the finding as "shocking ." She explained that this behavior had never been observed in squirrels before, opening new doors to knowledge about the world's natural history. "It's a discovery that reminds us how much we still have to learn about our environment," she reflected.
It all started when students presented a video filmed during fieldwork. Smith admitted that, upon first viewing it, he couldn't believe what he was seeing . And as the research progressed, they began to detect the behavior with surprising frequency. "Once we knew what to look for, we found it everywhere," he said.
Researchers recorded dozens of cases in which ground squirrels of different ages hunted, consumed, and competed for vole prey, all in less than two months.
