Going nuts: Eastern gray squirrel behavior is unaffected by predator activity

Chandler Russian                             

The Eastern gray squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, is common across the Eastern United States. Their success may be due, in part, to their ability to avoid predation. For this study, we asked how squirrels’ behavior might differ in areas with different predation risk. Our hypotheses were that in areas with high predator activity, squirrels would have lower overall activity, be observed in groups more frequently, and be more nocturnal. To test these hypotheses, we observed the behavior of gray squirrels and their predators using camera traps at 26 camera stations across 6 sites in Upstate South Carolina. Each image was labeled by time of day, species present, and number of individuals. We calculated squirrel activity as the number of squirrel observations per camera day. We used the observed frequency of potential squirrel predators (i.e., foxes, feral cats, bobcats, and coyotes) to categorize stations as having high, medium, or low predation-risk levels. We discovered that the squirrels were not significantly more nocturnal or more likely to form groups in the presence of higher predation risk. We also determined that mean squirrel activity was greater at locations with both high and medium predator-risk levels than in locations with low predator risk, which was the inverse of what we expected. This may be because predators are attracted to areas with high squirrel activity or because some areas provide better habitat for both squirrels and predators. Overall, our results suggest squirrels do not alter behavior as expected in response to predation risk.                

• Chan Russian is a junior biology major. He has been a member of the TriBeta Honor’s Society since his Sophomore year.  He currently serves as Vice-President of TriBeta and Treasurer of the Lander University Pre-Health club. After graduation, he plans to become a lab technician.