Squirrels on campus--has Dana pizza altered squirrel behavior?
Walk anywhere on Colby’s campus at this time of the year, and you will inevitably come across a little animal that everyone is familiar with: the eastern gray squirrel. Native to eastern North America and considered one of the most successful forest regenerators, the gray squirrels on campus have been seen doing everything from dragging slices of pizza across the Dana parking lot to sifting through trash cans in front of the Spa. For an animal seen every day, however, surprisingly, little is known about the impact of human activity on squirrel behavior. So how has the eastern gray squirrel been affected by human communities such as Colby and other Maine college campuses?
While there hasn’t been extensive research on the subject, recent publications from the University of Maine and the University of New England have made some interesting discoveries about Eastern squirrel behavior on college campuses. Take, for example, their foraging behavior. While one might think that the human food options on campus would dramatically alter the campus squirrels’ behavior compared to forest squirrels, research indicates otherwise. According to a 2013 study, squirrel foraging behavior on the University of Maine campus did not differ significantly from their forest counterparts. So despite the many times that squirrels have been seen rummaging through human food waste, their original food habits such as scatter hoarding nuts and seeds have remained remarkably the same.
Other aspects of campus squirrel behavior subtly changed, however. For example, campus squirrels such as those at Colby allow humans to approach them at much closer distances before fleeing. In addition, campus squirrels exhibit much bolder behavior, such as foraging in the open where hawks could catch them, grabbing food waste that’s right next to a large group of people, and even growling at human passerbyers.
Overall, eastern gray squirrels have a unique relationship with humans. Unlike mice and other similar species, squirrels don’t typically try to live in people’s homes. While they sometimes enjoy human foods, at the end of the day, they still prefer their original food sources, like acorns, because of their nutritional content. In other words, they like the human food options, but they have not completely altered their feeding habits in the same way that other animals in urban settings have.
In addition, we humans are neither actively disgusted nor actively interested in squirrels because they are so ubiquitous on campus. We are so used to squirrels that sometimes we forget how humorous and interesting they are to watch as they go about their daily lives. So the next time you see a campus squirrel, take an extra second to marvel at their prowess as both a nut consumer and a Dana pizza consumer.
~ Lucia Middleton `22
