Squirrels hunt mice: Are the rodents carnivores after all?

California (USA) - Researchers in the USA have for the first time demonstrated predatory behavior in the otherwise peaceful herbivores and granivores!

The study observed a total of 74 Californian ground squirrels in their hunting and eating behavior. (symbolic image)
The study observed a total of 74 Californian ground squirrels in their hunting and eating behavior. (symbolic image)  © Robin Loznak/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

According to a Daily Star report, researchers in the US have recently observed a subspecies of squirrel, the California gopher, actively hunting voles.

The study was published yesterday, Wednesday, in the Journal of Ethology. It shows that of a total of 74 animals observed, a full 42 percent hunted the mice.

The realization that the fluffy rodents are omnivores is a groundbreaking discovery for the scientists.

Squirrels show that humans can still learn a lot from the environment

Research leader and author of the study, Jennifer Smith, was shocked by the results of the observations.

Nevertheless, she said that this "behavior never before seen in science sheds a very special light on the fact that we as humans still have so much to learn from our environment".