#squirrels

#squirrels

What Does This Sign Mean?Andrew Ha saw this sign in Montreal. What does it mean? That is a great mystery.To take it literally, if one walks behind a squirrel, one will be fined a hundred dollars. That’s how I would interpret the arrow and the gavel.Alternatively, there appears to be a second sign bolted to the bottom of the original. This could have been a change in the fine level instituted by the local government or it could have been a plot by squirrels to imply that there is something wrong with walking behind squirrels. Perhaps the original design rewarded people for pursuing what one pest control expert once told me were “rats with good PR”.-via Dave Barry#signs #squirrels

Check Out This Ostrich Egg Squirrel SculptureSheppard’s Irish Acution House offers this unique item for sale. Let’s call it a conversation piece because it will definitely provoke conversation with the next people who visit your office and/or bathroom.The sculpture is about 9 inches tall and is centered around a preserved ostrich egg. The hungry squirrel is holding what the auction listing describes as a pine nut, but I suspect is actually a polished stone. The silver squirrel, though, doesn’t know any better. He appears to be in a foul mood--most likely as a result.The head lifts off for storage in the egg’s interior. I suggest using it to store nuts.-via Rebecca Bauman#antiques #eggs #squirrels

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