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Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Squirrels Heat Their Tails to Fend Off Rattlesnakes


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The California ground squirrel (left) deters northern Pacific rattlesnakes by heating up its tail and waving it over the heat-sensitive reptile.

Researchers used an infrared imaging video camera to track how squirrels increase the amount of heat from their tails during snake encounters.

The top right image, in which the squirrel's tail is clearly visible, shows an interaction with a northern Pacific rattlesnake. The bottom right image depicts a run-in with a Pacific gopher snake, which is not heat sensitive.

Photograph courtesy Rich Reid/NGS, images courtesy Aaron Rundus