DFW Urban Wildlife

There are times while I am observing wildlife that I allow myself a little latitude to reflect on the nature of the behaviors I witness. It can be interesting to consider the reason why animals engage in the types of behaviors that they do.

All animal behaviors can be expected to have some tangible survival value, but identifying the exact nature of the contribution can sometimes be difficult. The benefits provided by certain behaviors can be subtle or ancillary. On occasion, I will observe behaviors that I believe I understand well, but will then go on to notice a nuance I had not considered previously.

Such was the case when I recently visited with a wildlife rehabber who had a lone orphaned Fox Squirrel baby in their care. The young squirrel had come into rehab after being knocked from its nest during a powerful early spring storm. The baby squirrel had responded well to its care in rehab and was now old enough to begin preparations for release. During my time with the rehabber, the juvenile Fox Squirrel was to be allowed some time outside the wire cage that had been its home for over six weeks now.

We set the cage up outdoors in the rehabbers backyard and opened the cage door so that the squirrel would be able to come and go as it pleased. We then took our seats in some nearby lawn chairs and patiently waited to see what would happen next.

At first the trepidatious little Fox Squirrel stayed well hidden, secure in the soft, warm confines of the rodent hammock that hung near the top of its cage. But after a few minutes the squirrel’s curious little nose began to sniffing around near one of the hammock’s openings. A short time later, her head cautiously poked out of the hammock, as the little squirrel beheld this big, bright, noisy environment for the very first time.

Mustering her courage, the little squirrel slid out of the hammock and dropped to the cage floor. The allure of the open door before her was strong, and the squirrel wasted little time before approaching it. And a moment or two later, the intrepid squirrel took her first cautious steps out of the cage and onto the patio–an important milestone in her rehabilitation!

It was around this time that the rehabber explained to me that orphaned squirrel often do better when they are rehabbed with siblings or other juveniles of a similar age. Sharing the rehabbing experience with other baby squirrels helps each one recognize that they are indeed squirrels, and it also helps interfere with any inclinations the baby may have to bond too closely with their human caregivers–an important consideration if release back into the wild is the ultimate goal.

On this day, I witnessed another aspect of the same issue. As the baby squirrel exited the cage, it did so with a mix of apprehension and excitement. And while the little squirrel certainly seemed to enjoy its time outside of its cage, it never did gather the courage to wander very far. The squirrel’s cautious explorations only led her off the patio and into the grass for one brief moment in the almost three hours we sat outside with her. Seconds later, the thrill of a new experience–mixed with high anxiety–sent the little squirrel scrambling back to the safety of the patio in close proximity to her cage. When you are a young, inexperienced squirrel away from your nest for the very first time in your life, the world presents as a very big and scary place.

As the twilight of late evening began to set in, the juvenile squirrel found her way back to the cage door and went back inside of her own accord. In all the time we were in the backyard with her, the intrepid little squirrel never again tried to venture off of the patio. She will certainly need several more sessions like this one before she is ready for release back into the wild.

But this scenario may have turned out a bit differently if our squirrel friend has some siblings to play with. A good session of hearty play might have made this preparatory exercise more productive and quickened the squirrels release date.

I have always thought of play–which is an intrinsic behavior in mammalian species–as functioning primarily as a mechanism for gaining strength and agility through the repetition of relatively safe but vigorous activities. As such, play can be expected to aid young animals develop the fitness and skills they will need as adults.

But as I watched our juvenile squirrel make its first halting, tentative steps into a bigger world, I noticed another–more nuanced–aspect of play behavior. Play has the power to distract from inhibitions. If this squirrel had been able to engage in sport with siblings, the enjoyable activity certainly would have worked to direct focus away from fears and anxieties. As a consequence, the developing squirrel may seen its way clear to explore further from its cage, and stay away for a longer period of time. This extra activity would have given the young squirrel more experience with its new environment, certainly adding to its confidence, and accelerating its readiness for release.

A further–and similar–benefit of engaging with siblings could be offered by what could be described as a form of peer-pressure. Though general seen as a negative influence on human children, peer-pressure–in the case of a squirrel–might encourage some juveniles to follow the lead of their braver and more outgoing siblings. This could result in all of the siblings roaming further or climbing higher than they would have on their own. The extra exploration and exercise would surely benefit the squirrels, both in terms of physical fitness, and in knowledge of their new environment–clear and valuable enhancements to the squirrels’ ability to survive.

Now, it might be suggested that the distractions caused by play can also be a detriment to survival when they make young squirrels unaware of the dangers in their surroundings. It is very plausible that a young squirrel deeply engaged in play might find itself the victim of a lucky or clever Bobcat that simply sat still and hidden while his preoccupied victims tussled their way to where he was crouched.

Clearly, there is a danger posed by the distraction of play, but it is a short-term vulnerability and is surely outweighed by the benefits it provides–otherwise play would not exist. Without risking play, a juvenile squirrel might find itself much more vulnerable if its activities were limited to a smaller area for a longer period of time. With a constrained range, a young squirrel would be easier for a predator to find, and would have fewer escape options. Squirrels require the ability to navigate very complex three dimensional environments. The quicker they develop and master the skill necessary for this activity, the better off they will be.

The little squirrel in this story will be ok, no matter what. But it may take just a little longer to develop the skills and confidence she will need without the influence of other young squirrels to help her along the path.