"SQUIRRELS: CUTE, FLUFFY...and...WAIT...CARNIVORES?!" with Dr. Sonja Wild
6/16/20261 hr 1 min
Cute. Fluffy. Nut-obsessed. That's the squirrel story we all know... right?
Not so fast.
This week, we sit down with Dr. Sonja Wild, a behavioral ecologist and postdoctoral researcher at UC Davis, whose work explores how animals adapt and thrive in a changing world. Her recent research helped uncover something that stunned even seasoned scientists: California ground squirrels hunting and eating voles.
In this fascinating conversation, Dr. Wild shares how her team documented this never-before-described behavior, what it reveals about squirrel intelligence and adaptability, and why there's still so much to learn about some of the animals we think we know best.
After this episode, you'll never look at the squirrels in your backyard the same way again.
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMark Kyle· Host0:00
When I say squirrel, what comes to mind? Those sweet little guys munching on acorns and nuts? Rocky from Rocky and Bullwinkle? Well, in today's episode, Dr. Sonja Wild joins me. She's a behavioral ecologist, and she focuses on social learning culture. Now, she's studied everything from dolphins to ground squirrels, but let's talk ground squirrels. Typically, ground squirrels are considered granivores. Basically, that means they eat seeds and grain. But in 2024, undergrad and students working with her brought her a video of something no one had seen before: squirrels actively hunting and eating California voles. Now, if you don't know what a vole is, it's a small rodent that looks kinda like a mouse. So I really want you to think about this. That really peaceful squirrel in your yard could actually be a pretty vicious hunter. Remember the bunny rabbit in Monty Python's Holy Grail? Just saying. Now, beyond the vole hunting, we talk about how human presence can shape how an animal actually acts, how human traffic in parks can affect individual behavior, their social networks, and so much more. What do animals learn from each other? When does social learning produce culture? How does environment shape behavior? Sonja, she's a wealth of information, and this one, it's a lot more than just nuts.
Unknown speaker1:27
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