Ultrasonic squeeks of squirrels warn of danger
29 July 2004
by Richard
Conan-Davies
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Nature is as ingeneous as any covert or secret spy in the modern world. The problem that some ground squirrels have is how to warn your friends that a hawk is near by without attracting attention to yourself and probably getting killed. Well you just try squeeking at such a high pitch (ultrasonic) that your friends can hear you but the hawk circling above doesn't. This is what researchers David Wilson and James Hare from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada have discovered and reported in the science journal Nature. They figured this out by recording the squeeks with special microphones used for studying bat squeeking. They did have a little clue to start with. The researchers noticed that these squirrels produce a little puff of air but could not hear a sound this suggested that it might be a sound that could not be heard normally.
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Richardsons' ground Squirrels ( Spermophilus richardsonii) send out high pitch ultrasonic squeeks to warn of danger. |
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