New Study Reveals the Personality of Squirrel

A new study shows that the animals that grow near humans act more like them. Many times people may think that their pet cat or dog shares a lot of the owner’s Personality, but there may be another fluffy animal near your home that acts more like you even squirrels act like humans. The researchers published their inferences in the journal Animal Behaviour on Friday.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis reported that squirrels share the same Personality trait like the humans, and those traits are key to their survival and life expectancy.The study is the first to monitor the Personality in golden-mantled ground squirrels that are found in western U.S. and Canada, showed the animals showed different  traits like aggression, social behavior, and proactiveness.

Researchers say the findings show how Personality determines an animal’s use of space in the wild. The lead author of the study said that they are small but many studies show that the individuals matter.  Accounting for Personality in wildlife management may be more crucial when interpreting wildlife response to novel developments, such as changes or destruction of habitat due to human activity.

Each of the traits showed the hardness of the life of a squirrel. Squirrels that were  aggressive moved swiftly, found food quickly, and protect their territory, yet it made them more likely to become prey, as they are commonly hunted by coyotes, foxes and hawks, among other animals.