Of course I have to share any squirrel news....


Squirrels Outwit Rattlesnakes in Infrared
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News
Aug. 13, 2007 — Like Wile E. Coyote's hapless quest to catch the Roadrunner, rattlesnakes have attempted to catch California ground squirrels for well over a million years, and now scientists know one reason why the squirrels usually win.

Their tails freak out the snakes, researchers report in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The secret is the squirrel's ability to heat up its tail before flicking it in admonishment at a threatening rattlesnake, the researchers believe. For the first time, the scientists captured the phenomenon using a special infrared camera. [...read more]



In related news, today Glen saw a squirrel jump 8 feet from a fence to a tree, much like Superman.