Are Squirrels More Intelligent Than Dogs?

These highly intelligent animals, that can stand upright like humans are much more evolved than one might think. According to a new study, which was published on 04/09/2019 in the journal PLoS ONE, eastern gray squirrels eavesdrop on non-alarm auditory cues from other animals, as indicators of safety and adjust their vigilance level in accordance with the vigilance level of other animals.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221279

These genius animals are probably even more intelligent than dogs. It is just that they are not as compliant as dogs are, that creates a misconception about their intelligence. After monkeys perhaps squirrels is the next animal that resembles the human form so close.

For many people they are a nuisance, but for equally many others they are a delicious meal or even they constitute a friendly company! However, squirrels remain wild animals, and unless they are grown up from very young under a human company, they will be highly non compliant and not a good idea for a pet inside you house.

Apart from being able to analyse the auditory clues of other animals, they are also extremely skilled in analysing the complex facial expressions of even humans, and gain significant information together with an evolutionary advantage.

In addition to that, squirrels are also known for bluffing in a range of different circumstances.

Their unmatched ability to climb fast from tree to tree and run fast, also makes them kings in terms of physical flexibility. In comparison most humans are in a very bad physical shape: they can hardly run for a minute.

Their vision is not as good, being able to see limited shades of black, white and grey colours. However they have been evolved to be more active during times of the day that everyone else's vision isn't better either!

They can often play with cats and run around of cats that forage on them, as they are much more flexible and able to resort on trees.

Unlike dogs, squirrels most of the time will conceal their intelligence and future intentions. They are a very unique animal, although they resemble with humans, rats and mice. It is considered illegal to release one of them in the wild once you have caught it with a trap! The eastern grey squirrel which is depicted in the photos above is also a non native species to Europe and a cause of concern for the extinction of the red squirrel. Many people will regard it as a rodent that causes significant damage to, the environment. However, it is certainly a part of a chain with many predators being involved. Finally, below you can see some pictures of red squirrels:

Did you know that a squirrel can wave its tale as a signal of danger? It will also bark accordingly!

Finally, lets watch again an eastern grey squirrel being intimidated by a close camera approach!

Squirrels will eat almost anything! They have a strong preference for unprocessed nuts and fruits, but they may also eat small amounts of animal food such as smaller rodents and insects from time to time.