Are squirrels smart?

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Squirrels are smart enough to know where they have buried food, even when it has been buried across a number of spots, across a wide territory. Believe it or not, they actually give themselves directions to find their stashes, much in the same way as humans would. When telling a friend how to find something you would go by the landmarks of features in that place. Down that road, and then left at the pub, and then a few more steps down and you’ll find the spot. Squirrels are the same — left at the big tree, right at the crooked tree, and a few steps more to the right. They don’t get it right every time, and there are stashes that the squirrels will forget about, but their memories have been shown to be excellent for remembering where food is hidden, making them rather smart animals.



As well as being smart enough to remember where they have buried their food stash, squirrels are also intelligent enough to manage to fool watching hungry animals. Other squirrels, for example, or birds could be looking to steal the food the squirrel has just buried. It is not uncommon for these critters to be on quite the display of faux-hiding. They will pretend to have buried their nuts or seeds in one place, wait for the for thief to come and investigate, and then scamper off, burying the food where no one else is watching.

As well as being very intelligent, get pranksters, and marvelous at remembering where to find food, squirrels are also very stubborn and determined. Have you ever seen a squirrel try to get to a bird feeder? They know there is good stuff inside, because it falls to the ground every now and again. It will do everything in its power to get to that bird feeder, in order to get to the good food inside, and if that means some amazing trickery and feats, as well as daredevil stunts, that’s just what it will do.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does squirrel removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of squirrels - my main squirrel removal info guide.
Example squirrel trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Squirrel job blog - learn from great examples of squirrel jobs I've done.
squirrels in the attic