Draft 1: Chasing Squirrels

This topic submitted by Bradley Walker, Nicole Brasseur, Whitney Argood, Jocelyn Haugen ( walkerb2@muohio.edu; airgoowl@muohio.edu; haugenjr@muohio.edu; brassenj@muohio,edu ) on 9/14/04 .

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Draft 1: Group name- Ecureuils mignons

Squirrel observation variables:

Food: a lot of smell; not much smell
colors and approach distances (from front, behind)
sound: do they respond to noises?
behavior
motion

Questions:

How close can we get to a squirrel?
What factors affect approach distances or squirrel behavior?
How will squirrels respond to humans?
Do different species of squirrels respond in the same of different ways?

Design and methods:

Target a squirrel. Approach it. When squirrel runs away/leaves drop a marker and measure distance from where squirrel was.
Test different clothing colors and food on squirrels. Observe its behavior and how it reacts to each variable.

Expectations:

Can probably approach squirrels if we are wearing subtle colored clothing, are quiet, and calm in approaching.
Squirrels will most probably react badly if we run up to them or try anything out of the ordinary
We all expect to find out more about the domestication of squirrels and learn more about their behavior.

References:

Dill, Lawrence M. and Robert Houtman. "The influence of distance on flight initiation distance in the gray squirrel" Canadian Journal of Zoology 1989: v67: p233-235

Gustafson, Eric J. and Larry W. VanDruff. "Behavior of Black and Gray Morphs of Scirurus carolinensis in an Urban Environment" The American Midland Naturalist January 1990: v123: p186-192

Sharpe, Peter B. and Beatrice Van Horne. "Influence of Habitat on Behavior of Townsend's Ground Squirrels (spermophilus townsend II)" Journal of Mammology August 1998: v79: p906-918

William W. Korth, "Rodentia", in AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, http://www.accessscience.com, DOI 10.1036/1097-8542.592800, last modified: June 25, 2001.

Norman F. Ruby, "Hibernation", in AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, http://www.accessscience.com, DOI 10.1036/1097-8542.YB990460, last modified: April 10, 2000.

Charles B. Curtin, "Squirrel", in AccessScience@McGraw-Hill, http://www.accessscience.com, DOI 10.1036/1097-8542.649900, last modified: August 16, 2002.

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