A young squirrel lucky enough to take over territory from an adult male squirrel is like a teenager falling into a big inheritance, according to a new University of Guelph study.
Researchers found male squirrels store more food than females, and if a young squirrel leaving the nest nabs a storage spot previously owned by a male squirrel, they will increase their lifetime pup production by 50 per cent.
“It’s like buying a home and finding a big pile of money buried in the walls,” said integrative biology professor Andrew McAdam, who worked on the study with lead author David Fisher, a former U of G post doc. “The previous owner of where you live can significantly impact how well off you are, at least in the squirrel world.”
Published in the journal Ecology Letters, the study involved hundreds of North American red squirrels.
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Image via Ryan Taylor.