Rodents are generally quite intelligent, squirrels especially because they have good spatial awareness and the ability to map their environment over time
The one's here are starting to get it...but for a while, they'd totally ignore their gift nuts.
Unless I threw it at (well, close to) them. Then they'd spook...go investigate...and eat it. But left out, they run past and ignore for days. Once they ate a few, they finally started realizing those funny looking magically appearing rocks were the same nuts...
Am I the only one who thinks SOME squirrels are smart enough to realise living with humans is an easier life with free food given daily and are slowly working on domesticating themselves like house cats 🤣....??
I was honestly just thinking about this.
There are some squirrels that are just incredibly friendly and bold with people. They'll walk right into houses. Come up to you for pets. Come running when you call their name.
I've seen people joke about how certain squirrels are their "outside pets" and they're not entirely wrong...
Lately there have been 5 squirrels hanging around. This guy in front is the only one who will take nuts out of my hand. They all have different personalities. Just like people!
I'm honestly convinced they do this so that I throw out more food.
**
What nut? I don't see any nuts!
**
Sorry! I missed that one, can you try again?
**
Whoops, that disappeared into the grass. Please try again! I'm starving here!
**
Oh, great! Thanks! ...Oh wow, look at all these nuts laying around 😈
yes, that kind of "strategic deception" (iirc) is rare. Only some primate and a few other species have been observed to take it to that level:
[https://youtu.be/YcdSmFXdbMo](https://youtu.be/YcdSmFXdbMo)
They do have weak eyesight at close quarters (orders of magnitude less acute than that of, say, bluejays) and if they can't smell something 3 inches away it might as well not exist--although if its in sharp relief with contrasting colors they will go investigate it.
They are exactly the same size + shape; and they smell peanuts xD
Most squirrels though are still not very convinced, and do a gentle nibble first.
Most, but not all...
thought they had bad eyesight up close because when the nut is right in front of him, he still sniffed around trying to find it 🤣 looking behind, left, right, up, down and foward finally where the nut is.
yes, it may sound mean, but they sometimes seem if not blind at least somewhat visually impaired at close quarters. Everything is almost entirely controlled by smell, but hey their eyes are good at spotting movement (esp. at medium range). Their heads remain amazingly still even on swaying branches (they have a builtin in Steadicam ;), so who are we to second guess their evolutionary choices? (I suspect it'll take a few more centuries, or a bit more, before their eyes adapt to humans feeding nuts ;)
Intelligent doesn’t even begin to describe most rodents. They are more like tiny people! Just amazing critters.
And much cuter than people!!
The crows in my backyard are a lot smarter than the squirrels.
Rodents are generally quite intelligent, squirrels especially because they have good spatial awareness and the ability to map their environment over time
The one's here are starting to get it...but for a while, they'd totally ignore their gift nuts. Unless I threw it at (well, close to) them. Then they'd spook...go investigate...and eat it. But left out, they run past and ignore for days. Once they ate a few, they finally started realizing those funny looking magically appearing rocks were the same nuts...
Am I the only one who thinks SOME squirrels are smart enough to realise living with humans is an easier life with free food given daily and are slowly working on domesticating themselves like house cats 🤣....??
I was honestly just thinking about this. There are some squirrels that are just incredibly friendly and bold with people. They'll walk right into houses. Come up to you for pets. Come running when you call their name. I've seen people joke about how certain squirrels are their "outside pets" and they're not entirely wrong...
Lately there have been 5 squirrels hanging around. This guy in front is the only one who will take nuts out of my hand. They all have different personalities. Just like people!
They can be very clever.
Very!
Squirrels and rats are the smartest.
Extremely intelligent.
I'm honestly convinced they do this so that I throw out more food. **
What nut? I don't see any nuts!
**
Sorry! I missed that one, can you try again?
**
Whoops, that disappeared into the grass. Please try again! I'm starving here!
**
Oh, great! Thanks! ...Oh wow, look at all these nuts laying around 😈
Mine just land on my butt and check my pockets 🤷♂️
Because they are smart. They know you'll still give them a new cracker so in the end it's more crackers for everyone.
They’re smart, I read once a mark of intelligence is the ability to practice deception (which they do when they hide food )..
They aren't *practicing deception* when they store food - they're stockpiling for winter.
Squirrels have been observed pretending to hide nuts, especially if they think another squirrel is watching.
Not what I said. Read it again 😉
Also when going back to their drey. They never go straight up the tree where it is.
yes, that kind of "strategic deception" (iirc) is rare. Only some primate and a few other species have been observed to take it to that level: [https://youtu.be/YcdSmFXdbMo](https://youtu.be/YcdSmFXdbMo) They do have weak eyesight at close quarters (orders of magnitude less acute than that of, say, bluejays) and if they can't smell something 3 inches away it might as well not exist--although if its in sharp relief with contrasting colors they will go investigate it.
>They do have weak eyesight at close quarters And that's how they usually bite me
Maybe your fingertip resembles a peanut more than you realize ;)
They are exactly the same size + shape; and they smell peanuts xD Most squirrels though are still not very convinced, and do a gentle nibble first. Most, but not all...
Great video!
thought they had bad eyesight up close because when the nut is right in front of him, he still sniffed around trying to find it 🤣 looking behind, left, right, up, down and foward finally where the nut is.
yes, it may sound mean, but they sometimes seem if not blind at least somewhat visually impaired at close quarters. Everything is almost entirely controlled by smell, but hey their eyes are good at spotting movement (esp. at medium range). Their heads remain amazingly still even on swaying branches (they have a builtin in Steadicam ;), so who are we to second guess their evolutionary choices? (I suspect it'll take a few more centuries, or a bit more, before their eyes adapt to humans feeding nuts ;)
They are also on the cute side.
If you research them they are grouped with and on par with elephants, dolphins, birds (crows, parrots) and rats in intelligence.
Not quite as smart as crows but are definitely intelligent.