A squirrel that didn't move
Posted by Sandy Ng on June 2, 2006
Q: Hello. While hiking near Jasper we saw a squirrel sitting on its hind legs in a low branch in a tree right beside the trail. It didn't move at all as we approached, watched for many minutes, and left. I think it had been sitting there before we arrived and continued to sit there as we looked back down the trail. I've never seen a squirrel not move at all for so long. What was it doing?
Habitat: forest/open woods
State: Alberta
Habitat: forest/open woods
A: You got to see one of the most often used "techniques" for avoiding predation - freezing! It's very common for an animal that "thinks" it's being stalked to simply freeze. The squirrel probably saw you long before you saw it and it simply stopped moving until you left and the "coast was clear". One of the easiest ways of finding an animal is to see its movement - if there is no movement, the animal is extremely difficult to see. This is a good adapation for animals to avoid being caught and eaten. Hope this helps.
John Wiessinger ( June 2, 2006)