Californian ground squirrels heat their tails to ward off rattlesnakes

Californian ground squirrels warm up their tails to ward off heat-sensitive rattlesnakes, a new study by researchers from the University of California, Davis has revealed.

Washington, Aug 14 : Californian ground squirrels warm up their tails to ward off heat-sensitive rattlesnakes, a new study by researchers from the University of California, Davis has revealed.

Study author Aaron Rundus, now at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, found that northern Pacific rattlesnakes often went on the defensive when confronted by a squirrel waving a "hot" tail over its head.

Rattlesnakes are highly sensitive to heat and use a specialized sensory organ to detect the infrared radiation-or heat-given off by their small mammal prey.

When snakes are around, adult California ground squirrels want to make themselves noticed. A 'hot' tail signals the adult squirrel's readiness to defend its young from a rattlesnake attack.

Rundus said the squirrel likely warmed its tail by increasing blood flow from its body to the normally cooler tail region.

"The heat increases the conspicuousness of the squirrel's tail-flagging display and it signals to the snake that it has been detected, and that it is likely to be harassed by the squirrel and other[s] in the vicinity," he said.

The study appears in today's online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

ANI