"So if the snake-scent application prevents rattlesnakes from entering squirrel burrows, both the adult females and the juveniles would need to apply the scent."
Study co-author Donald Owings, a professor of psychology at UC Davis, noted that scent application is just one trick in a suite of defenses that squirrels use against rattlesnakes.
In previous studies, Owings' lab had found that ground squirrels heat up their tails by as much as nine degrees Fahrenheit (five degrees Celsius) to send a warning signal to rattlesnakes.
"Squirrels have over time learned to lessen their chances of becoming prey," said Chris Jenkins, a scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society, who was not part of the study.
"Sometimes it gets to a point where the squirrels will start kicking sand at the snakes, biting them, and pouncing on them," Jenkins added.
"This new behavior that [Clucas and her colleagues] documented adds a whole other angle to the story and has real implications for our understanding of predator-prey dynamics."
"Beauty" of Evolution
The study authors add that snake-scent application is likely a product of natural selection.
Squirrels that had the genetic instinct to use the ploy might have had increased survival and reproductive success, thus passing the trait to following generations.
Co-author Matthew P. Rowe, a behavioral biologist from Sam Houston State University in Texas, said he finds this genetic aspect fascinating.
"It gives me great cause to admire the beauty of these interactions, which are the products of millions of years of evolution."
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