Cross Dressing Squirrels Thwart Snakes

Okay, this one is something you can have fun with. Squirrels were found to chew up rattlesnake sheds and then lick their fur to help disguise their scent with the snake-scented saliva to thwart the snakes.

You can find the original papers in:
Clucas B, Owings DH, & Rowe MP. In press. Donning your enemy’s cloak: ground squirrels exploit rattlesnake scent to reduce predation risk. Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Clucas B, Rowe MP & Owings DH. In press. Snake scent application in ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.): A novel form of antipredator behavior? Animal Behaviour.



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This entry was posted on Monday, December 17th, 2007 and is filed under Animal News.

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