Squirrel on the Roof
It was a busy morning, in my head, anyway. I was wondering
what to do first – go food shopping or work on the article I was writing or go
to the library to return and replenish books or get a jump on house cleaning or
bring stuff to the cleaners or…well, that was the kind of day it started out
as. Food shopping won and I was on my way to the car when I saw a squirrel on
the roof of the house. He/she was looking down at something. Then he looked up.
Then turned toward me but didn’t scoot down as I expected he would. It seemed
that he was just staring into space.
I sat in my car watching him for a while before I went on my
errand. Was that squirrel going through a similar conundrum about what to do
today or did he have something particular in mind? I know squirrels are smart.
I have seen them figure out ways to get onto the bird feeders regardless of the
obstacles we put in their way. A study of gray squirrels from the University of
Exeter shows that they learn from observation, particularly if it relates to
finding food. Was this one planning its next meal? Well, so was I.
I drove off to the market but I didn’t forget about that
squirrel. We are learning so much about how animals think. Humans may be verbal
but we are not exclusive to intelligence. Each species has its own way of
interpreting information, especially about feeding, mating, and survival. It
makes me look at other creatures with a less jaundiced eye. We all have to
contend with the circumstances of life and we all need smarts to do it. Perhaps
focus is the key. When I returned home the squirrel was gone. I had no doubt
that he made a wise decision from the perspective on the roof.
University of Exeter study:
A fascinating study on animal intelligence by Virginia
Morrell:
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/03/animal-minds/virginia-morell-text
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