3 ms·
California squirrels show carnivorous behavior for the first time
- gnabgib 2y agoWell no, the first observation was in 1943 https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article-abstract/24/2/231/987607 https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article-abstract/24/2/231/9... Which is noted in the paper (2 points) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42449402 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42449402
- LargoLasskhyfv 2y agoI don't know about California squirrels, but the red european ones have no problem at all eating eggs or just hatched bird chicks in their nests. As do Abert's squirrels in Colorado. Free protein! ( Seen by myself several times. )
- Pinus 2y agoI used to hear this a lot — that (red European) squirrels are cute, but they take bird eggs! Then I started seeing, from lots of sources that should be reliable, that squirrels are in fact vegetarian, and that there little or no evidence of them taking eggs or animals. And then this article shows up, and I no longer know what to believe. Was "squirrels are vegetarian" a cover-up by Big Squirrel?
- rightbyte 2y agoIt is not that surprising given that mice and rats seem to like meat I put in my traps.
- fastjack42 2y agoYou fucked with squirrels, Morty!
- 00N8 2y agoI'm not surprised. I've read about similar behavior in deer & hippos. They're herbivores for the most part, but not always strict vegetarians. "CA squirrels _filmed_ showing carnivorous behavior for the first time" would probably be a more accurate title
- more_corn 2y agoSo it begins.