Confirming a Bias

In a previous post, I warned you of the danger of squirrels. New Scientist, a reputable scientific journal, has published legitimate scientific research to back up my claims!

Relying on data collected from infrared (IR) video taken, scientists have concluded that squirrels use heat-emitting bushy tails to ward off predators! And I quote Jeff Hecht:

It's Californian ground squirrel versus rattlesnake in a potentially lethal showdown. But the squirrel has a secret weapon that until now has remained invisible to the human eye.

The ground squirrel heats up its tail then waves it in the snake's face - a form of harassment that confuses the rattler, which has an infrared sensing organ for detecting small mammals.

What's really amazing is that the ground squirrel will heat its tail when confronted by a rattlesnake, which detects IR light, but will not heat its tail when confronted by a gopher snake, which does not detect IR light.

Don't believe me? See for yourself. View the YouTube videos in the New Scientist article.