- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
These squirrels are cold-blooded vole killers
https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/12/watch-carnivorous-squirrels-chow-down-on-tasty-voles/
We think of squirrels as adorably harmless creatures, admiring their bushy tails and twitchy little noses and the way they cram their cheeks with nuts or seeds to bring back to their nests for later. But the rodents turn out to be a bit more bloodthirsty than we thought. According to a new paper published in the Journal of Ethology, California ground squirrels have been caught in the act—many times over—of chasing, killing, and eating voles.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 3 sec ago
Thumbs down. Feels much harsher and less grip. Also wears your rims and makes a nasty grinding noise.
- wtjs 3 min 36 sec ago
I have always been opposed to allowing any sort of taxi to use bus lanes.
- wtjs 13 min 5 sec ago
Just like pushing a sore tooth, it's sometimes worth looking at these comments to see just how thick thick people are. Last night on the BBC NW...
- Jules59 14 min 8 sec ago
Comparing road fatalities per 1 billion km driven then Australia has about twice the death rate of the UK....
- chrisonabike 1 hour 9 min ago
But but nobody ever fell over *before* on a night out?...
- brooksby 2 hours 7 min ago
And that's the thing. It's the motorists who are creating the danger, and yet they think it is everybody else's problem to solve.
- cyclisto 2 hours 13 min ago
Absolutely no brand snobber here, and if wasn't in love with my current old heavy bike, I would definitely like to have a Ti bike, so I have...
- mark1a 13 hours 17 min ago
Well... as it happens, I have the Bosch EasyPump. I bought it a year ago with some Christmas gift money. Its main use is on my van which doesn't...
Add new comment
7 comments
Mea culpa! I'm looking after someone's cat while she's away at Christmas, and cats are warm-blooded cold-blooded killers. Am I the guilty man?
Yes
Human beings complain about other mammals killing and damaging things; not sure what to call that...
https://studyfinds.org/squirrels-turning-into-carnivorous-killers-in-california/
There is a tale told in my family, passed down to the younger generations:
On my first visit to Bristol, many years ago, my now-wife took me to Brandon Hill park, "where the squirrels are totally tame, they'll take food right out of your hand".
So I crouch down, offer a digestive biscuit out. A squirrel approaches; stops; comes a bit closer; stops; very carefully and delicately takes my finger in its 'hands'; then bites me, drawing blood - I drop the biscuit, which it picks up and scampers off with.
I hate the little blighters! (sorry, peter)
They've got an awful record:
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/24592644.squirrels-without-tickets-attac...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-65092730
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/scots-woman-terrorised-...
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/dec/28/stripe-the-bitey-squirre...
That's just the last few years!
Where is Ian Duncan Smith when you need him?
Those voles need more situational awareness. And at the end of the day, it's better to be safe (and never leave your vole hole) than right (running across the
roadground and ending upunderin a squirrel). The ground is for ground squirrels - the clue's in the name.