How to Eradicate the Squirrel Population Through Cyber Bullying
While grey-tailed and red-tailed species of squirrels pose a potential threat to humans, they’re not socially acceptable in many areas. Cyber bullying of squirrels is not only damaging to humans, but it can be equally dangerous for animals. Fortunately, there are some ways to deal with cyberbullying without harming the squirrel population. Read on to learn more about ways to deal with cyberbullying and how it can affect animals.
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Grey squirrels showed less social aggressiveness than older animals
Researchers conducted a study of grey squirrels in the Berkshires and Silwood Park in the United Kingdom. The results showed that young Grey squirrels behaved more amicably with their littermates than older ones. This behavior may explain why the young ones showed less aggressive behavior than older ones. These research findings suggest that social structure in Grey squirrels may be more complex than we thought.
In the study, Taylor observed Grey squirrels and their interactions. They observed that they displayed more submissive behavior than the dominant ones, as indicated by the way they lowered their head and brought their ears forward. The researchers also observed that adults tended to chase each other and most chases ended with the aggressor giving up, but 18 of these encounters ended in physical violence. Koprowski noted that the behavior may be related to the complex social system these animals form. The female Grey squirrels tended to form interactive social units.
Grey squirrels form a complex social system
Gray squirrels are arboreal acrobats with sharp claws for barking, long tails for balancing leaps and slender bodies for twisting around trees and other branches. When alarmed, gray squirrels freeze, flattening their bodies and tails to the trunk or limb. They can travel between ten and fifteen miles a day, and can swim several miles.
The study’s methods were approved by Forest Research and the Royal Veterinary College – University of London. All housing and handling were conducted in a licensed establishment with personnel with personal licences. Researchers trapped eighteen male gray squirrels in Alice Holt Forest, Hampshire, with a total of 18 squirrels: 10 males, seven subadults and one adult female. The researchers selected this group as a random sample of the population and a relatively small scale.
The habitat of gray squirrels differs depending on the season. In the winter, they live in their dens and visit stores of nuts at midday. These creatures are diurnal, with most activity occurring between two and three hours after dawn and two to four hours before dusk. Their tails are half their original length. But in a climate where snow and ice are abundant, a gray squirrel can spend the whole day laying in a tree cavity.
Dominance hierarchies in squirrels
The study of Grey squirrel social structures suggests that they follow a dominant male over female social order. In 79% of interactions, males ruled over females. Only 18 of these interactions resulted in physical violence. It’s not yet known if the social order is the result of cyber bullying, but researchers do know that males are more aggressive than females. They also tend to move in pairs, and females have a lower social rank than males.
The study of gray and red squirrel social structures has led to the question of how humans can deal with this problem. Many humans do not like squirrels and do not want them living in their neighborhood. The social structure of these animals resembles the social structure of the Grey and Red species of squirrels in Canada. They may even make love with each other. However, cyber bullying has an adverse effect on animals, especially small ones.
Red squirrel tail waving
Whether it is the gray or red striped, these animals can pose a serious threat to humans and small animals. These rodents live in a socially unacceptable habitat, which is one of the reasons they have become victims of cyber bullying. Often, these animals are targeted for their tails, which they use to warn predators away. But in recent years, people have become even more enraged by the sexist ways in which people are bullying these animals.
While the actions of these individuals may seem unwarranted and inhumane, it is essential to remember that a squirrel has strong incisors and is capable of carrying out dangerous leaps. This is the reason why some people want to get rid of squirrels, and a good way to do that is to stop squirrels from spreading their populations. One such example is when a squirrel stopped more than 20 million shares of stock from trading due to a social media campaign.
Jessica Watson is a PHD holder from the University of Washington. She studied behavior and interaction between squirrels and has presented her research in several wildlife conferences including TWS Annual Conference in Winnipeg.
