In years when food is abundant for squirrels, males kill the young of rival males, according to new research from University of Alberta biologists.
“It’s called sexually selected infanticide,” explained biologist Jessica Haines, a U of A post-doctoral fellow who led the study. “It’s when a male kills another male’s offspring to increase the chances that he’ll be able to father pups of his own when the female breeds again.”
The study is the first to observe and document this behaviour in red squirrels.
During her fieldwork in spring 2014, Haines unexpectedly witnessed the behaviour first-hand, and later found a second dead squirrel pup from the same litter.
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Image via University of Alberta.