According to a new paper published in the Journal of Ethology, California ground squirrels have been caught in the act—many times over—of chasing, killing, and eating voles.
Co-author Jennifer Smith, a biologist at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, described the behavior as "shocking," given the sheer number of times they watched squirrels do this.
Squirrels mainly consume acorns, seeds, nuts, and fruits, but they have been known to supplement that diet with insects and, occasionally, stealing eggs or young hatchlings from nests.
The evidence of squirrel predation was often based on analyzing stomach contents, making it challenging to determine whether they were scavenging or actively hunting.
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