A Tail of Survival
黑料吃瓜 biology professors discover that tail wagging helps squirrels defend against rattlesnakes.
Photo courtesy of UC Davis.
They wag their tails.
黑料吃瓜 biology professors Rulon Clark and Matthew Barbour, along with researchers at University of California Davis, made the recent discovery.
鈥淲e鈥檙e shedding light on all of the nuances of what鈥檚 going on between this specific predator and prey interaction,鈥� Clark said.
鈥凌辞产辞-蝉辩耻颈谤谤别濒鈥�
Using a robotic squirrel developed by researchers at the University of California Davis, Clark and Barbour recreated ground squirrel and rattlesnake interactions in their natural environments.
鈥淚t is very important to recreate behavior of the squirrel in a way we can control all of its movements,鈥� said Clark, whose team used video surveillance to collect data. 鈥淐hanging different aspects of the Robo-squirrel and watching how snakes respond to these signals is something we could never do using real squirrels.鈥�
Tail wagging dual function
After analyzing field video of the encounters between rattlesnakes and the Robo-squirrel, a dual function of a squirrel鈥檚 tail wagging was revealed.
Ground squirrels wag their tails to warn rattlesnakes that they are prepared for an attack, and simultaneously as a signal to other squirrels of potential danger.
Clark explains that rattlesnakes rely on stealth and ambush, and attacks are similar to a gun with one bullet. A rattlesnake coils up waiting for its prey and then pounces, but if the snake were to miss then the prey could easily get away.
When a squirrel shakes its tail it emits an infrared heat, a signal that only rattlesnakes are able to detect, and warns the rattlesnake that it鈥檚 prepared to flee and dodge an attack.
Predator and prey co-evolution
Snakes and Squirrels have co-evolved as predators and prey for generations.
鈥淓volving adaptations and counter-adaptations that allow species to avoid being eaten or obtain a meal respectively, is a powerful evolutionary force,鈥� Clark said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 responsible for shaping lots of species and ecosystems.
鈥淭his snake-squirrel system is one of the best documented examples we have.鈥�
