#goldenmantledsquirrels

#goldenmantledsquirrels

Squirrels Have Personalities, with Four Main Traits: Boldness, Aggressiveness, Activity Level and SociabilityGolden-mantled ground squirrels are native to North America. They are also commonly found across the western U.S. and some parts of Canada. A study from the University of California Davis observed these squirrels in order to document their personalities in relation to their environment.The study, published in the journal Animal Behaviour is the first to document personality in squirrels. Researchers discovered that squirrels demonstrate four main traits: boldness, aggressiveness, activity level, and sociability. One of the conclusions researchers made is that bolder squirrels had large core areas of activity, and they were prone to accidents and predators but will defend their territory. In addition, they had perch access, which provided them a better vantage point for watching out for predators.These findings show that understanding animal personality is important for wildlife conservation, as the way these animals behave influences how they use their environment. Lead author Jaclyn Aliperti says that the study “adds to the small but growing number of studies showing that individuals matter,” and that considering animal personality in wildlife management would be needed to predict responses to new conditions like a change or destruction of habitat.Image credit: Jaclyn Aliperti/UC Davis#AnimalBehavior #Squirrels #GoldenMantledSquirrels #Science