Squirrels are indeed among the most fascinating creatures in nature. Except for being outrageously cute, the little animals are also proving to have various personality traits. To be more precise, there are four types of personalities in squirrels, according to a new study revealed by ScienceAlert.com.
More precisely, we’re talking about the gold-mantled ground squirrel that’s scientifically known as Callospermophilus lateralis.
Four main personality traits
The new research reveals that the four main personality traits are aggressiveness, sociability, boldness, and activity levels. These attributes seem to strongly impact how the little animals use resources and choose an ecological niche.
But some other species of the cute fluffy animals are proving to have the personality traits as well. Those species are Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus), yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), and the Urocitellus beldingi ground squirrels of Belding.
Jaclyn Aliperti from the University of California, who’s the lead author of the study and also a wildlife ecologist, declared:
This adds to the small but growing number of studies showing that individuals matter,
Accounting for personality in wildlife management may be especially important when predicting wildlife responses to new conditions, such as changes or destruction of habitat due to human activity.
Aliperti also explained for ScienceAlert.com the following:
Personality is a subjective word that many can relate to, but in our field, you cannot constitute a behavior as a certain personality type without defining it and statistically showing that individuals consistently show that same behavior time and time again.
Squirrels have a pretty unique style of escaping predators: they run in zigzag. They achieve speeds of up to 32 km/h. The cute creatures’ front teeth never stop growing. Squirrels have a lifespan of a maximum of 20 years.
