Draft 1 Even the Squirrels are Different
This topic submitted by Mike, Naosuke, Amanda, Jeremy, Lyndsey (lynsvike@hotmail.com) at 1:34 pm on 9/30/99. Additions were last made on Wednesday, August 9, 2000. Section: Myers
ABSTRACT
Our goal is to study the behavior of gray squirrels in Oxford, Ohio. We will compare the
activities of squirrels that live on main campus to those that live on Western Campus. Our group
will measure their predatory response to determine which group of squirrels is more sensitive to
human presence. We will also look at the squirrel’s tendency to learn and adapt to threats and
changes in their environment. We hypothesize that squirrels on main campus are less likely to
flee from humans than squirrels on Western Campus. Our group also believes that squirrels do
adapt to their environment. This adaptation causes main campus squirrels to be comfortable
with everyday human activity, while it causes Western Campus squirrels to be more cautious
around people.
INTRODUCTION
The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a medium size tree squirrel. They range in color from dark
to pale gray. Their tale ranges in color from white to pale gray, so also their stomachs. In the
wild they live 7-8 years but in captivity the have been known to live 20 years. The size of their
body ranges from 380mm-525mm (without tail). The tail can add 150mm-250mm in length and
their weight ranges from 300g-711g. They have a wide field of vision and very good eyesight,
even in dim light. They also have excellent sense of smell and hearing (Halloran 1).
The main diet of squirrels consist of tree seeds and masts. While in season squirrels
prefer to eat fruits, flowers, leave buds, bark, roots, fungi, and carrion (Allen 1.) Their main
source of water is from the plants they consume and pools of water near their inhabitancy (Allen
2). Their food source also provides a home for the animals.
The gray squirrel finds its habitat in the branches of trees. They gray squirrel makes its
den in mature hardwood forests which have dense ground cover. Trees they prefer to make a
den in are ash, elm, oak, hickory, beech, bald cypress, sycamore, sassafras, and basswood
(mostly in the eastern United States) (Allen 3). These trees are used to rear their young and to
provide shelter during the winter (Allen 2).
As areas become more humanly populated squirrels are forced to find new ways of
surviving. Squirrels are adapting in some ways almost to well for some people. They are live in
our attics, eat out of our gardens, running under our lawn mower, get trapped in chimneys, fall in
to swimming pools and drown (Humane 2). It seems that every where you look there is a
squirrel.
Its a fact that in some areas such as Washington DC “squirrels have become as numerous
as bureaucrats, and government buildings have put up no feeding signs. One guy has become so
aggressive about hand outs that he climbs up your leg(wreaks havoc on you nylons) to get the
food. Others will take a nut and chase you down the street for more if they feel shorted”
(Humane 1). These of course are extreme examples of what has happened between people and
our furry friends.
It is a well known fact that the population of Western Campus is smaller than the main
campus of Miami University. We have chosen to study the differences between the squirrels on
the Western Campus of Miami University and the squirrels on the main campus. Our group
wants to see that if squirrels in this area (Miami University) have been affected by the amount of
Miami students that walk by them everyday. Our hypothesis is that since there are more people
and a higher density on the main campus squirrels that are on the main campus will let humans
walk closer to them than the squirrels on the Western Campus where there is not as high density
of people. This is an interesting subject to our group because with the explosion in the
population of the human race it is obvious that some areas of nature will need to adapt in order
to survive.
We will take the measurement from where the person is standing to where the squirrel feels
threatened and starts to run. We will document the environment that the squirrel was in when it
ran in order to get a homogeneous view that our squirrels were in.
METHODS
Many observations need to be made before the experiments themselves can begin to have
any significance. First there must be a survey of the physical layout of the area where the
experiments will take place. The number of trees will be counted as well as the size of the area
and the amount of area that is covered by cement. This will take precise measurements and
calculations which will occur at all of the experiment areas. The main campus area will be the
space surrounding the seal in Academic Quad. Western’s measurements will be taken in the
field to the North of Peabody. The field where the adaptability testing will occur is the area on
the Southeast corner of Patterson and Western Drives. In addition to recording the physical
aspects of these area, the amount of traffic traveling through the area must also be taken into
consideration. To measure traffic we will count and record the number of people who pass
through the area during half hour increments, once in the morning, once in the afternoon and
once in the evening. These measurements will be taken everyday for a week and then averaged
together to derive an estimated of the number who use the are in a half hour span everyday. All
of these observations will be factored into the results of our experimentation.
The actual experimentation involving squirrels will occur in two phases; one at the seal
and at the field to the North of Peabody, the other at the location at the Patterson and Western
corner. At the first site the squirrels will be approached at an average pace as thier current
position being watched carefully. When the squirrel runs the distance between the approacher
and the estimated previous location of the squirrel will be measured. The distance form the
squirrel’s estimated spot to the nearest escape route (tree) will also be measured. This will be
used to help factor in the squirrel’s feelings of safety and easy escape. All of these measurements
will be taken a three week period. The results from each region will then be compared to decifer
which squirrels have the smallest personal space.
The second set of experiments will be taken only to look at whether or not squirrels adapt
to new situations. We will use the same technique of measuring as used in the other set of
experiments, but these results are sought out for a different purpose. These measurements will
also be taken over three week. These are taken to see what changes happen to the size of the
personal space of the squirrels as they are again and again confronted. The results will be
compared over the time of the experiment. This give us an idea of the adoptation tendencies of
squirrels.References
Allen, Arthur W., Habitat Suitablity index models. Gray Squirrel. New York, 1987.
Halloran, Peg. spot.colorado.edu/~halloran/sqrl.html. Squirrel Almanac: Distribution.
March,1999.
Humane Society of the United States. Wild Neighbors, The Humane Approach to Living
with Wildlife. Fulcrum Publishing, 1997.
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