Most of the time ...

April 24, 2020

Most of the time, animals seem to have an uncanny ability to tell when a camera is in focus and pointed at them, at which point they spring away and disappear. Every once in a while, though, you get lucky and a squirrel strikes a cool pose right in front of you (by the way, please direct all photography awards and corresponding massive cash prizes to Ben Williams c/o The Virginia Museum of Natural History).

At any rate, Sciurus carolinensis, better known as the eastern gray squirrel, is a pretty common sight in southwest Virginia. If you have bird feeders, it may be too common of a sight. However you feel about them, though, squirrels are remarkable animals. We've all seen squirrels burying nuts and seeds for later retrieval; sometimes their secret food caches are temporary, and the squirrel will come back later to grab their meal and re-bury it in a more secure location. Believe it or not, a single squirrel is estimated to make several THOUSAND food caches per season! Even more amazingly, they have a terrific memory when it comes to remembering the locations of these caches, and they use landmarks and their sense of smell to find them again.

What's even more impressive is that if a squirrel feels like it's being watched by another animal that might like to dig up its snack, it will actually pull a fake-out. It will dig a hole, pretend to bury its food (which remains hidden in its mouth), and then fill the empty hole back in. For an animal with a brain that weighs about as much as a quarter, that's pretty impressive! #BenInNature

About this post: Social distancing can be difficult, but the next few weeks present a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. While he is working from home, Administrator of Science Ben Williams is venturing outdoors each day to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world.

This post brought to you by VMNH Supporters Linda and Roscoe Reynolds.