I seen the same thing yesterday. Yes, squirrels are known for eating eggs, baby birds and insects on occasion. If they are starving and didn't have a good nut cache or sometimes they need a certain vitamin or minerals like deer antlers. Amy, you pretty much are spot on about predators would eat them and grow stronger but i also think you are right about their intelligence. I think they are smart enough to figure out that this dramatic change in the moles population will bring too much unwanted attention to were the ground squirrels live. They don't want any attention from hawk, snakes and coyotes. The more attention they attract means no one will be safe. I think it is just their way of getting rid of the happy meals and possibly taking the dead bodies to a location away from where they live. Not much different from when you had so many problems with hawks and soon after your squirrels had a mass exodus to let things cool down before returning.
Yes!!!! I hadn’t thought of that, but of course!!! I’m going to pin this comment but I feel like it merits a follow up video. It’s brilliant and it’s exactly what they’d do!!
It very interesting I am thinking in the direction you were going with it I think it’s self preservation. The moles share a large part of a squirrels diet and they don’t want the competition and the predators too .
I’ve seen ground squirrels nearly all my life and I can’t remember seeing one eating a darn thing. My guess is that availability of the voles and the lack of their normal food, (right because why go kill something when you can just harvest or forage it?), is the reason behind it. I think you did a very good job on this video
@@BudaKhan420 Thank you. That’s so interesting that you’ve never seen them eat anything! I was struck by how thin the squirrel in the picture is that j put in the video. We don’t have thin squirrels here. I have close relations in the south and they frequently comment on how much bigger the northern squirrels, tails included, are than the ones in Georgia. The ones here, including in Illinois, slim down for summer each year and plump up for winter. This year my friend in Illinois noticed her squirrels put on their winter weight long before the ones around here did. The ones who don’t live around this house started showing up with winter weight before the ones who live in the immediate vicinity, which I found interesting. But I’ve never seen a squirrel as skinny as the one in the picture. Even the Georgia squirrels (albeit tree; not ground) squirrels have more meat on him than that California ground squirrel did. I realize he’s just one guy. I’ve seen pictures of plumper ground squirrels. Is this a ramble or what?? 😀.
@@Littleanimalsarecute Lol sure. Or what if it's just part of the squirrels religion?? What if the squirrels have declared a religious fatwah on the voles??? :O Squirrels on a holy crusade xD
In California, the summer is like winter for animals in the Eastern half of the country in terms of food scarcity. In fact, the ground squirrels here will fatten up in winter/spring after the rainy season and then hibernate in the summer to survive the dry season. But the drought is over as of last winter, so there was much more food for the other rodents to eat, hence the population boom. Which would mean the squirrels were competing with all the other rodents for vegetation to eat. So, I'm guessing these squirrels may have run out of vegetation to eat and had to switch to hunting other animals. Just my take on it.
I seen the same thing yesterday. Yes, squirrels are known for eating eggs, baby birds and insects on occasion. If they are starving and didn't have a good nut cache or sometimes they need a certain vitamin or minerals like deer antlers. Amy, you pretty much are spot on about predators would eat them and grow stronger but i also think you are right about their intelligence. I think they are smart enough to figure out that this dramatic change in the moles population will bring too much unwanted attention to were the ground squirrels live. They don't want any attention from hawk, snakes and coyotes. The more attention they attract means no one will be safe. I think it is just their way of getting rid of the happy meals and possibly taking the dead bodies to a location away from where they live. Not much different from when you had so many problems with hawks and soon after your squirrels had a mass exodus to let things cool down before returning.
Yes!!!! I hadn’t thought of that, but of course!!! I’m going to pin this comment but I feel like it merits a follow up video. It’s brilliant and it’s exactly what they’d do!!
@@Littleanimalsarecute🤗
Great information on California ground squirrels
Thanks ❤
Another good one.....i love learning more about squirrels .
🤔🤓📚 so much topic this week !!
It very interesting I am thinking in the direction you were going with it I think it’s self preservation. The moles share a large part of a squirrels diet and they don’t want the competition and the predators too .
I’ve seen ground squirrels nearly all my life and I can’t remember seeing one eating a darn thing. My guess is that availability of the voles and the lack of their normal food, (right because why go kill something when you can just harvest or forage it?), is the reason behind it.
I think you did a very good job on this video
@@BudaKhan420 Thank you.
That’s so interesting that you’ve never seen them eat anything! I was struck by how thin the squirrel in the picture is that j put in the video. We don’t have thin squirrels here. I have close relations in the south and they frequently comment on how much bigger the northern squirrels, tails included, are than the ones in Georgia. The ones here, including in Illinois, slim down for summer each year and plump up for winter. This year my friend in Illinois noticed her squirrels put on their winter weight long before the ones around here did. The ones who don’t live around this house started showing up with winter weight before the ones who live in the immediate vicinity, which I found interesting. But I’ve never seen a squirrel as skinny as the one in the picture. Even the Georgia squirrels (albeit tree; not ground) squirrels have more meat on him than that California ground squirrel did. I realize he’s just one guy. I’ve seen pictures of plumper ground squirrels. Is this a ramble or what?? 😀.
Ewwww. I wonder if they'll get bigger too and evolve into something not quite so cute. 😢
or will it be short-lived, only lasting until they drive down the vole population. Did you see John Ernest’s comment? I think he nailed it!!
@Littleanimalsarecute yes to John's comment. Hopefully nature is not being altered. If so, won't be in my lifetime.
I've seen a video of a deer eating a baby bird as well. I don't think we will ever really understand our wild friends!🤣
@@wildlifeathome Humams keep trying to put them in neat little boxes, as if all animals from any species are alike. 😂👍
What if animals can be racist xD
@@92GreyBlue Speciesist? 😀
@@Littleanimalsarecute Lol sure. Or what if it's just part of the squirrels religion?? What if the squirrels have declared a religious fatwah on the voles??? :O Squirrels on a holy crusade xD
@@Littleanimalsarecute ^joking xD
In California, the summer is like winter for animals in the Eastern half of the country in terms of food scarcity. In fact, the ground squirrels here will fatten up in winter/spring after the rainy season and then hibernate in the summer to survive the dry season. But the drought is over as of last winter, so there was much more food for the other rodents to eat, hence the population boom. Which would mean the squirrels were competing with all the other rodents for vegetation to eat. So, I'm guessing these squirrels may have run out of vegetation to eat and had to switch to hunting other animals. Just my take on it.
youre cute
@@MakintheMeats thanks!