{"id":2384478,"date":"2024-12-29T14:06:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-29T19:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-squirrels-trade-acorns-for-raw-flesh-as-blue-state-drives-even-its-cute-tree-climbers-insane\/"},"modified":"2024-12-29T14:08:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-29T19:08:55","slug":"california-squirrels-trade-acorns-for-raw-flesh-as-blue-state-drives-even-its-cute-tree-climbers-insane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-squirrels-trade-acorns-for-raw-flesh-as-blue-state-drives-even-its-cute-tree-climbers-insane\/","title":{"rendered":"California Squirrels Trade Acorns for Raw Flesh as Blue State Drives Even Its Cute Tree-Climbers Insane"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">32<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-squirrels-trade-acorns-for-raw-flesh-as-blue-state-drives-even-its-cute-tree-climbers-insane%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2384478&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In\u200c a \u200dstartling new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cdc-exposed-inflated-covid-deaths-by-1600-throughout-the-election-violated-multiple-federal-laws-peer-reviewed-study-findsstate-local-governments-must-act\/\" title=\"CDC Exposed: Inflated Covid Deaths By 1600% Throughout The Election, \u201cViolated Multiple Federal Laws\u201d Peer-Reviewed Study Finds\u2026State, Local Governments Must Act\">study published<\/a> in the Journal of Ethology, researchers have observed unusual carnivorous behavior in California ground squirrels, who are now hunting \u200cand consuming small rodents\u200d called voles. Documented at Briones regional Park, the study recorded\u200d 74 \u200binteractions between\u2062 squirrels and voles from June to July, revealing that \u200cnearly half ended with the squirrels eating the voles. The squirrels demonstrated remarkable hunting techniques, killing voles\u200b 55% of\u200c the time by targeting\u2064 thier necks or other body parts. <\/p>\n<p>Jennifer Smith, the study&#8217;s lead researcher,\u200c expressed surprise\u2063 at these findings, emphasizing that such behavior had never \u2063been documented before in ground squirrels, which are familiar animals to \u200bmany. Sonja Wild, another researcher, initially skeptical\u2062 of the reports, was taken aback by the videos showing the behavior, noting its frequency once they began to observe closely. \u2063 <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">study highlights\u2064 squirrels&#8217; ability<\/a> to adapt\u2062 to environmental changes\u200c and food availability, suggesting resilience in the face of\u200b challenges such as \u2063climate change. this reflects a broader theme in California, \u2063where both residents and wildlife seem to be adapting to a changing and often chaotic environment.The research sheds new light\u200d on the complex behaviors of these common mammals and underscores\u2063 the importance of \u200dunderstanding\u2063 animal adaptations in rapidly changing ecosystems.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>California is going more than nuts.<\/p>\n<p>Researchers revealed that California ground squirrels now have an acquired craving for meat, leading them to hunt and devour rodent populations.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists saw these strange patterns of behavior firsthand in June at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/news-releases\/1068464\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> from the University of California &ndash; Davis about a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-causes-of-death-in-the-u-s-during-covid-19-pandemic\/\" title=\"Top Causes of Death in the U.S. During COVID-19 Pandemic\">study recently published<\/a> in the Journal of Ethology.<\/p>\n<p>Video of the squirrels captured by the researchers showed them pouncing on voles &mdash; tiny mouse-like rodents &mdash; ripping their flesh, and consuming the small creatures.<\/p>\n<p>One squirrel even held a poor vole in its mouth and vigorously shook it.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>There were 74 interactions between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-orphaned-squirrel-became-social-media-star-euthanized-seized-home\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">squirrels<\/a> and voles observed by scientists between June 10 and July 30 alone.<\/p>\n<p>Almost half of them ended with the squirrel gorging itself on the vole.<\/p>\n<p>The squirrels managed to kill the voles 55 percent of the time, usually by attacking the neck, but sometimes by targeting other body parts.<\/p>\n<p>Jennifer Smith, an associate professor of biology at University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire who spearheaded the study of the aggressive <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/peanuts-law-introduced-governments-cruel-euthanization-beloved-squirrel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">critters<\/a>, said the findings were nothing less than &ldquo;shocking.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We had never seen this behavior before. Squirrels are one of the most familiar animals to people,&rdquo; Smith said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We see them right outside our windows; we interact with them regularly,&rdquo; she continued. &ldquo;Yet here&rsquo;s this never-before-encountered-in-science behavior that sheds light on the fact that there&rsquo;s so much more to learn about the natural history of the world around us.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Sonja Wild, a behavioral ecologist at the University of California Davis who has observed hundreds of squirrels, said she was skeptical when undergraduate students told her about the behavior.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>WARNING: The following post contains imagery that some may find offensive.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Vole hunting: novel predatory and carnivorous behavior by California ground squirrels<\/p>\n<p>In our new video article in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/J_Ethology?\">@J_Ethology<\/a> we document the emergence of this exciting behavior following a population explosion of California voles <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MSz00Ig87o\">https:\/\/t.co\/MSz00Ig87o<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Wl4HxegFGs\">pic.twitter.com\/Wl4HxegFGs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sonja Wild (@wild_sonja) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wild_sonja\/status\/1869312476351017138?\">December 18, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>When she watched the video, she said, &ldquo;I could barely believe my eyes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;From then, we saw that behavior almost every day. Once we started looking, we saw it everywhere.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The fact that California ground squirrels are behaviorally flexible and can respond to changes in food availability might help them persist in environments rapidly changing due to the presence of humans,&rdquo; Wild said.<\/p>\n<p>Smith told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2024\/12\/18\/science\/california-squirrels-carnivorous-eating-voles\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a> in an  that the research &ldquo;radically changes our perception of squirrels, one of the most familiar mammals in the world.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In the face of human insults such as climate change and drought, these animals are resilient and have the potential to adapt to live in a changing world.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>California seems to have a tendency to drive people, and apparently also animals, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/ap-gunman-dead-shooting-california-religious-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">out of their minds<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The past few years have been difficult for the Golden State.<\/p>\n<p>For decades now, residents have endured high taxes and even the occasional earthquake to enjoy picturesque coastlines and beautiful blue skies year-round. None of that is new.<\/p>\n<p>But more recently, we&rsquo;ve seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/newsom-declares-state-emergency-trying-freeze-trump-day-one\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lockdowns<\/a> forced on everyday business owners, elevated levels of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/california-homeless-population-surges-nearly-14-single-year\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">homelessness<\/a> and public drug use, influxes of illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities and more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/crime-ridden-california-progressive-dems-push-newsom-defund-prison-system-1-billion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">violent crimes<\/a> and property crimes, many of which go ignored by overwhelmed police officers.<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, the California dream has devolved into a nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>Even the squirrels are starting to take part in the madness.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Researchers observed this surprising behavior in June at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County, as reported by the University of California \u2013 Davis in a recent study published in the Journal of Ethology. Video footage captured by scientists showed squirrels attacking voles\u2014small rodent-like creatures\u2014tearing into their flesh and consuming them. One squirrel was even seen shaking a vole vigorously after catching it.<\/p>\n<p>Between June 10 and July 30, scientists recorded 74 interactions between squirrels and voles, with nearly half resulting in the squirrel feasting on its prey. The squirrels successfully killed voles about 55% of the time, typically targeting their necks but occasionally attacking other areas as well. Jennifer Smith, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire who led the study on these aggressive behaviors, described the findings as &#8220;shocking.&#8221; She noted that such behavior had never been documented before despite how familiar people are with squirrels.<\/p>\n<p>Sonja Wild, a behavioral ecologist at UC Davis who has studied many squirrels over time, initially doubted reports from students about this new behavior but changed her mind after watching video evidence. She remarked that once they began observing closely, they noticed this predatory behavior frequently.<\/p>\n<p>Wild suggested that California ground squirrels&#8217; ability to adapt to changes in food availability could help them survive amid rapidly changing environments due to human influence. Smith emphasized that this research alters our understanding of these common mammals and highlights their resilience against challenges like climate change and drought.<\/p>\n<p>The situation reflects broader issues facing California residents over recent years\u2014including high taxes, natural disasters like earthquakes, lockdowns affecting businesses during crises like COVID-19, rising homelessness rates alongside public drug use issues\u2014and now even wildlife appears to be affected by these stresses<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2384479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Squirrel-vs.-vole.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[28577,47566,37803,4045,19919],"class_list":["post-2384478","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-squirrels","tag-acorns","tag-blue-state","tag-california","tag-wildlife"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Squirrel-vs.-vole.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384478","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2384478"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384478\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2384482,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2384478\/revisions\/2384482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2384479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2384478"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2384478"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2384478"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}