1 00:00:04,040 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Here there, Hi, there, ho there, and welcome to these 2 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,000 Speaker 1: short stuff. I'm Josh, and there's Chuck, and I'm Josh 3 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:11,280 Speaker 1: and there's Chuck, and Chuck's here and I'm Josh. And 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: let's go because we're talking about squirrels. So zip zip zai. 5 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:20,280 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, this is, you know, a continuant continuation of 6 00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,480 Speaker 1: our squirrel talk. Um, we've never done one on squirrels, 7 00:00:23,480 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: but I know a couple of years ago you talked 8 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: about the squirrel being your foe, and then you had 9 00:00:29,600 --> 00:00:33,879 Speaker 1: since turned to love and embrace squirrels. The squirrel. I 10 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: had a squirrel attack me, which you can see on 11 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: my video doorbell. If you go to Instagram Chuck the 12 00:00:43,400 --> 00:00:46,720 Speaker 1: Podcaster at Chuck the Podcaster, you can see my squirrel 13 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:50,120 Speaker 1: attack that where the squirrel ran up my leg. And 14 00:00:50,400 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: now we're going to talk about something I thought was 15 00:00:52,479 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: pretty interesting, which is squirrels and the notion of them 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: gathering nuts and things for the wind and hiding them. Okay, wow, 17 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:08,720 Speaker 1: heck of an intro, Chuck. That's it for short stuff, everybody. Um, yeah, 18 00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 1: so I have heard about these studies before, hadn't you? Like? 19 00:01:12,520 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: This isn't news to me? It was news to me, okay, 20 00:01:15,560 --> 00:01:18,480 Speaker 1: so what we're talking about. It turns out that um 21 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,639 Speaker 1: squirrels that live in trees called tree squirrels. They're different 22 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 1: from ground squirrels, and one big thing that differentiates them, 23 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:27,760 Speaker 1: aside from where they nest or den either on the 24 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: ground or in a tree, is that tree squirrels typically 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: don't hibernate, which is cool because then that means you 26 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: can see squirrels year round. But it's rough for the 27 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:40,160 Speaker 1: squirrels because then that means that they have to sustain 28 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:44,120 Speaker 1: themselves nutritionally throughout the year, which can get kind of 29 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: hard in the winter months, which is why everybody, squirrels, 30 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: especially tree squirrels, tend to stow food. They gather food 31 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: during the fall to last them through the winter. That's right. 32 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: And it's also why this time of years, especially in Atlanta, 33 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: uh a k. A city of ten million squirrels, it 34 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: seems like they are everywhere this time of year. Um 35 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: nuts are falling on the ground, little acorns are falling 36 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: on the ground, and squirrels are very, very busy, and 37 00:02:17,080 --> 00:02:20,240 Speaker 1: it it's sort of you kind of take the squirrel 38 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:23,360 Speaker 1: for granted because they're everywhere. But occasionally I will be 39 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: driving around, and I will just sort of laugh to 40 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: myself about the fact that in my perb, in my view, 41 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: let's say, walking or driving, I see like ten wild 42 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: animals just running around in the middle of a city. Yeah, 43 00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: they're everywhere. They are. Well, you know, Georgia and Atlanta 44 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: in particular is a particularly wooded metropolous, so it makes 45 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:48,040 Speaker 1: sense that they be everywhere in Atlanta. I think if 46 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:56,279 Speaker 1: you went to like Kansas City, you'd be sorely disappointed. Metropolis. Okay, 47 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: I'm trying not some new ways of same things. I 48 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 1: love it. I hope that fire. Thank you, thank you 49 00:03:02,639 --> 00:03:07,399 Speaker 1: so um With these uh, with these squirrels when they're 50 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: storing stuff for the winter, and when they're gathering all 51 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 1: this stuff, um, what are they eating. Well, they're eating 52 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: what's called mast, which is one of my favorite words. 53 00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,959 Speaker 1: It's also called tree fruit, things like acorns, basically any 54 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: nuts that grow on trees. They also, I didn't know 55 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: this chuck apparently also will eat baby birds while they're 56 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:26,519 Speaker 1: in their nest. Nest Like, yeah, I didn't know that. 57 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,880 Speaker 1: That was disappointing to hear. It's a little rough. But 58 00:03:28,919 --> 00:03:31,079 Speaker 1: there's one other thing you need to know about squirrels. 59 00:03:31,080 --> 00:03:34,520 Speaker 1: It's pretty amazing when they jump off of a tree 60 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: and land on the ground. If you take a snapshot 61 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: photo of them landing, they land like they're superheroes in 62 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: like a three point stance with their they're one of 63 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,320 Speaker 1: their arms bawled into a fist and pulled up by 64 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: their side like they should have a cape and a 65 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: mask on. Basically, it's it's pretty amazing. I think we 66 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,600 Speaker 1: might have mentioned that in another episode, but it is. 67 00:03:54,680 --> 00:03:57,760 Speaker 1: It is worth looking up on the internet for sure. Ye. So, um, 68 00:03:57,960 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: when they're they're gathering nuts while they're wearing their little 69 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,280 Speaker 1: cape or their mask, and as you know, um fall comes, 70 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:05,920 Speaker 1: they really have to step it up because they want 71 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:07,800 Speaker 1: to they want to gather it for winter. But the 72 00:04:07,800 --> 00:04:10,600 Speaker 1: thing is is when they gather this stuff, they don't 73 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,400 Speaker 1: actually gather it and store it in their nest or 74 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:16,840 Speaker 1: in their den because there's not enough room. And this 75 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:21,360 Speaker 1: actually finally, Chuck, Finally, several minutes in four plus minutes 76 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: in we get to the point of this short stuff. 77 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: I think we should take a break off. That's the 78 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,600 Speaker 1: best cliffhanger we've ever had. Are you kidding me? All right, 79 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: all right, let's take a break, and we're going to 80 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 1: talk about what happens from this point forward. Right after this. Alright, 81 00:04:55,320 --> 00:05:01,200 Speaker 1: superhero squirrels Winter is coming, Game of Throne style. Uh, 82 00:05:01,240 --> 00:05:03,520 Speaker 1: they know they got to hoard those nuts. They're also 83 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,000 Speaker 1: eaten nuts. Yeah, they've got to you know, sustain themselves 84 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 1: along the way, so they will eat stuff that they find. 85 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:11,880 Speaker 1: But they also bury their stuff. That's what they do. 86 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:15,320 Speaker 1: They don't actually have like a pantry or an area 87 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:17,720 Speaker 1: of their den or nest where they're storing the nuts. 88 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: They store them in an area around their tree usually 89 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 1: or where their nest or den is. But apparently Chuck, 90 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:28,279 Speaker 1: they'll they'll expand out like to seven a seven acre 91 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 1: radius around that tree too. Yeah, they can. Um they're 92 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: called scatter hoarders. And I think generally they like to 93 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: kind of stick close to home, but if forced to 94 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,359 Speaker 1: for whatever reason, they will expand, like you said, up 95 00:05:43,400 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 1: to seven acres away from their tree. And uh, I think, 96 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:49,440 Speaker 1: you know, Chippendale did a lot of disservices. I don't 97 00:05:49,440 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: know if chipmunks are the same, but all you can 98 00:05:51,800 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: picture because of those Chippendale and Alvin and the gang, 99 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: well I guess Alvin and then all they did was 100 00:05:57,200 --> 00:06:01,039 Speaker 1: performed concerts. But all you can think about with chip 101 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: Chip and Dale's and running up and like stuffing a 102 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: tree hole full of nuts with a winter So that's 103 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: kind of what you figure happens. But they don't. They 104 00:06:08,839 --> 00:06:12,320 Speaker 1: They they know other squirrels are gonna be watching out, 105 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,800 Speaker 1: so and then you know, can combine and steal their 106 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 1: their uh sack of nuts that is buried. So they 107 00:06:20,080 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: bury them it's called caching about an inch underground and 108 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: cover them up again. They'll even crack open nuts sometimes 109 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: to keep them from German eating. And here was there's 110 00:06:30,440 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 1: two really great parts here to the end of this one. 111 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:36,159 Speaker 1: The first one really gets me was in two thousand 112 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: eight they did a study that found that Eastern gray 113 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:43,719 Speaker 1: squirrels have deceptive caching. So they know other squirrels are watching, 114 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 1: so they will literally go dig a little hole and 115 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 1: go all right, I'm just gonna put this acorn right 116 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 1: in here, stuff it in their mouth real quick, cover 117 00:06:53,800 --> 00:06:55,920 Speaker 1: up the hole, and then run off and be like, 118 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,520 Speaker 1: all right, I've just left that acorn buried over there, 119 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:02,719 Speaker 1: nothing nothing, just you here. Isn't that amazing? It is 120 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: pretty amazing. I love that too, that that they they're 121 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: just play. Yeah, that's another way to put it. Um. 122 00:07:09,360 --> 00:07:11,680 Speaker 1: The other thing that they do as far as burying 123 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: this stuff um is that they will will put them 124 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: in areas where they're at risk to um go dig 125 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,000 Speaker 1: them up, like at risk of predation, kind of out 126 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: in the open, far enough away from their tree where 127 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 1: they're kind of it's just getting increasingly risky to to 128 00:07:29,840 --> 00:07:33,880 Speaker 1: to go retrieve that nut. But that they'll put high 129 00:07:34,000 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: value nuts there. And we'll talk about how how squirrels 130 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,080 Speaker 1: short nuts in a second, but they put high value 131 00:07:39,120 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: nuts are because if it's risky for them, it's just 132 00:07:41,760 --> 00:07:44,920 Speaker 1: as risky for another squirrel who's nut who who it 133 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: doesn't belong to, And so that might cut down on 134 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: another squirrel coming along and pilfering their they're buried nuts. 135 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,240 Speaker 1: That's right. There was another study. This one was by 136 00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: Michael Delgado and Lucia Jacobs, professors that you ce Berkeley, 137 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:04,160 Speaker 1: and they said, you know what, this caching thing is 138 00:08:04,280 --> 00:08:08,280 Speaker 1: a lot more complex than even we knew about. They 139 00:08:08,320 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: did these experiments over nineteen months for fromen they fed 140 00:08:13,640 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: forty five marked free ranging Eastern fox squirrels one nut 141 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,560 Speaker 1: at a time, uh sixteen for each squirrel and all 142 00:08:22,600 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: different kinds of nuts, hazel nuts, pecans, walnuts, almost the 143 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:28,679 Speaker 1: good stuff. And if the squirrels didn't eat the nuts, 144 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: like you know, we said, they had to take care 145 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:32,240 Speaker 1: of themselves. But if they were had been fed for 146 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: the day, they tracked using GPS where they buried their 147 00:08:37,600 --> 00:08:40,839 Speaker 1: little nut prizes. And what did they find out. They 148 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:45,040 Speaker 1: found out that they um bury them basically according to 149 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:51,079 Speaker 1: things like size, type, potentially, calorie density, taste, um and 150 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:55,120 Speaker 1: so they graded them basically on on value. And so 151 00:08:55,240 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: like say, you know, they gave a squirrel a bunch 152 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:00,960 Speaker 1: of walnuts, they would bury the all nuts generally in 153 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: the same area, away from say where they buried the 154 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: almonds or the acorns or whatever. And this is called 155 00:09:06,720 --> 00:09:10,040 Speaker 1: spatial chunking, and it's a mnemonic device that we use, 156 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:12,920 Speaker 1: but it's pretty amazing that squirrels use it too, to 157 00:09:13,040 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: remember where they put something generally, like walnuts are generally 158 00:09:16,920 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: over here, so if I'm hungry for a walnut, i 159 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:21,000 Speaker 1: can just go over there and I'm going to dig 160 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,560 Speaker 1: up a walnut. Yeah, So it's it's literally a device 161 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: to remember things because it's a strategy. They said in 162 00:09:27,960 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 1: their quote, it's a. It's a cognitive strategy to decrease 163 00:09:31,720 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: memory load and increase accuracy of retrieval. So, um, how 164 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: you translate that is, squirrels have a lot going on 165 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,240 Speaker 1: and they're bearing a lot of nuts, so they use 166 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:45,920 Speaker 1: this little pneumonic device to remember where all the good 167 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: stuff is. Plus also don't forget they have squirrel sized brains. 168 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: So yeah, they want to take as many shortcuts and 169 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:55,560 Speaker 1: use as many mnemonic devices as they possibly can to 170 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: remember where they bury these nuts. And it makes sense 171 00:09:58,080 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 1: that they would be good at this because their survive 172 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,800 Speaker 1: all depends on it. You know, so are you, which 173 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: is to say huge brains, No, very small brains, very 174 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: small brains that are good at taking shortcuts, because it's true. 175 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:11,840 Speaker 1: One of the other things though, is this, This really 176 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: indicates that squirrels remember where they bury nuts, and they do, 177 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,280 Speaker 1: they have devices for that, but they also forget a 178 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: lot and they don't always crack open and nut, which 179 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:24,400 Speaker 1: means that squirrels go around and plant lots of trees 180 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: every year by going and burying acorns you know, in 181 00:10:27,760 --> 00:10:30,680 Speaker 1: the ground or walnuts in the ground. Um, that's how 182 00:10:30,760 --> 00:10:32,400 Speaker 1: That's one of the ways that some a lot of 183 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,040 Speaker 1: trees are propagated is through squirrels who go basically garden, 184 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: So that is squirrels everybody. They have their favorites and 185 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:43,760 Speaker 1: they hide them where they don't want them to get found, 186 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,720 Speaker 1: just like I would do. You know what's weird, though, Chuck? 187 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:50,240 Speaker 1: I have one question real quick? Why don't humans eat acorns? 188 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 1: Wet everything else? All those other nuts that they used 189 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 1: to test the squirrels out with, almonds, walnuts, um, all 190 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:01,439 Speaker 1: that those two? Basically, why don't we acorns any ideas? 191 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think they might be toxic and 192 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 1: they're bitter. Okay? You have a roast one for a 193 00:11:09,559 --> 00:11:12,000 Speaker 1: roasted acorn? Yeah, but like on a campfire? Did and 194 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:16,520 Speaker 1: eat it afterwards? Though? Acorn squash? Yeah, I don't. I 195 00:11:16,559 --> 00:11:20,120 Speaker 1: don't know if that's actually acorn. No, it's not. Um. 196 00:11:20,240 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: You got anything else about squirrels or acorns or anything 197 00:11:22,960 --> 00:11:26,040 Speaker 1: like that. Nothing else? Okay? Well everybody, since Chuck said 198 00:11:26,040 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: nothing else, that means that we have come to the 199 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 1: end of the short stuff, and short stuff is apt 200 00:11:32,920 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: stuff you should know is a production of iHeart Radios 201 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,920 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, 202 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:40,840 Speaker 1: visit the iHeart Radio app. Apple podcasts, or wherever you 203 00:11:40,880 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.