Is Squirrels this smart?

[crosscountry]

Joking in the title thread.

This is cool. (http://www.maniacworld.com/squirrel-obstacle-course.html)

[crosscountry]

so it's not a blind link, It is of a squirrel doing an obstacle course and then committing robbery.

[01101001]

As I recall the entire bit, or similar to it, the human involved progressively added stages one by one to the obstacle course, so it was a little easier than the final result suggests. Nonetheless, squirrels are curious and clever problem-solvers. A backyard squirrel gang has me giving them free peanuts and sunflower seeds. They must be smarter than me.

[Celestial Mechanic]

The "No Squirrel Left Behind" law are working! ;)

[Peptron]

Not all squirrels are intelligent!

I was once in a park giving peanuts to them and one of them that was making his nest spotted me. He came with his mouth full of grass and didn't seem to understand why he couldn't eat the peanut.

[Larry Jacks]

That video is from a BBC show from the 1980s titled (approximately) "Daylight Robbery - Portrait of the Gray Squirrel as Thief" or the sequel, "Daylight Robbery II". If I'm not mistaken, the first part of the video is from "Daylight Robbery II" and the vending machine theft is from the original show.

I remember watching those two programs. They were very funny. Some people think of squirrels as "tree rats" but I think they're quite intelligent. They have excellent problem solving skills and their agility is amazing.

[Noclevername]

Some people think of squirrels as "tree rats" but I think they're quite intelligent. They have excellent problem solving skills and their agility is amazing.

Calling them tree rats has nothing to do with their intelligence, it has to do with how annoying and destructive they are. If they were dumber they'd do less damage to gardens and houses.

[crosscountry]

That video is from a BBC show from the 1980s titled (approximately) "Daylight Robbery - Portrait of the Gray Squirrel as Thief" or the sequel, "Daylight Robbery II". If I'm not mistaken, the first part of the video is from "Daylight Robbery II" and the vending machine theft is from the original show.

I remember watching those two programs. They were very funny. Some people think of squirrels as "tree rats" but I think they're quite intelligent. They have excellent problem solving skills and their agility is amazing.



And they taste good too.

[Moose]

That's pretty slick.

[Donnie B.]

We is in ur treez

Eatin ur akornz

-- SquirrLOLs

[Kaptain K]

I saw a video about a year ago of birds (starlings or grackles) stealing the shiny coins out of a bill changer at a car wash. The owners thought it was human vandals and set up a surveillance camera and caught the birds in the act. They also found the birds' "stash" and recovered most of the coins.

I wish one of the local squirrels had been a little smarter (or more nimble). If so, I wouldn't have been without electricity for a couple of hours last week. Somehow this squirrel managed to get fried one the power transformer in my yard. Oh well, weeding the squirrel gene pool!

[Maksutov]

When I saw the title of this thread, I immediately thought it might be a quote from our fearless leader.

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/2957/borisnatashafearlessjk4.th.jpg (http://img521.imageshack.us/my.php?image=borisnatashafearlessjk4.jpg)

Tree rats make for good targets. The plumper ones yield enough meat for stew. Takes special preparation and seasoning though, to avoid the rather gamy aroma and taste.

When my wife and I visited the late Nut Lady (http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tips/getAttraction.php?tip_AttractionNo==2409) in Old Lyme back in the 1970s, her main problem (so to speak) was the squirrels that had invaded her house and were living inside the walls. Darn shame, it had been at one time a magnificent Victorian mansion.

[Jens]

We're cute and harmless anyway.
Please call the ASPCA!

Some people think of squirrels as "tree rats" but I think they're quite intelligent. They have excellent problem solving skills and their agility is amazing.

And rats don't? :)

[Celestial Mechanic]

A bit of recycled Harry Belafonte ...

Man Smart (Squirrel Smarter)

Let us put man and squirrel together,
To see which one is smarter.
Some say man, but I say "nay",
The squirrel is smarter in every way.

Chorus:
It's not me, it's people who say,
Man has always lead squirrels astray,
But me, please listen when I say,
Squirrel smarter than the man in every way.
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right. That's right.

The Garden of Eden was very nice,
Adam never worked in paradise.
Eve meet squirrel, tried pecan --
Adam had to work from that day on!

Chorus:
It's not me, it's people who say,
Man has always lead squirrels astray,
But me, please listen when I say,
Squirrel smarter than the man in every way.
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right. That's right.

Methusaleh leaved his life in fear,
Afraid to eat walnuts for nine-hundred years.
Then he decided to try just one --
The poor man never made it to nine-hundred and one.

Chorus:
It's not me, it's people who say,
Man has always lead squirrels astray,
But me, please listen when I say,
Squirrel smarter than the man in every way.
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right, the squirrel is SMARTER!
That's right. That's right.


Celestial Mechanic: The legal department here at Celestial Mechanic Productions has asked me to make the following public service announcement:

The above song parody is not intended to make light of food allergies involving nuts, particularly walnuts and peanuts. Symptoms can develop swiftly with potentially tragic results. With the holiday baking season approaching, please make sure that all your guests are aware of any potentially hazardous ingredients.

Thank you, and happy holidays to all! :)

[Maksutov]

Ah, Calypso!When I was a lad of three-foot-three
Squirrel questions occurred to me,
So I asked me father quite seriously
To tell me the story 'bout the squirrel in the tree.
He stammered and he stuttered pathetically
And this is what he said to me.

He said, "The squirrel piaba and the man piaba
And the walnut fall on Bermuda grass,
The cat root, dog root, raccoon root UH!,
But only squirrel find the cache."

It was clear as mud but it covered the trees
And the confusion made me brain go freeze.
I went and asked a good friend of mine,
Known to the world as Albert Einstein.

He said "Son,
From the beginning of time and all things that are potent
There existed the force of the tree rodent.
Pi r square is a myth to me, they're round as we all can see.
The molar system of the average squirrel
Make the nuts disappear and the shells they hurl.
So if the pecan tree doesn't move
I am positive that it will prove...

That the squirrel piaba and the man piaba
And the walnut fall on Bermuda grass,
The cat root, dog root, raccoon root UH!,
But only squirrel find the cache."

It was clear as mud but it covered the trees
And the confusion made me brain go freeze.
I grabbed a boat and went abroad,
And in Baden Baden Germany asked Sigmund Freud.

He said "Son,
From your sad face remove the grouch.
Drop the acorns and get on the couch.
I can see from your frustration a legume sublimation.
Hey!
Disliking tree rats is psychosomatic.
Your Rorsach shows that you're not diplomatic.
It all started with a CD by Ken G
And resulted in a bad case of peanuts envy.

Thus the squirrel piaba and the man piaba
And the walnut fall on Bermuda grass,
The cat root, dog root, raccoon root UH!,
But only squirrel find the cache."

Well I traveled far and my stays were few
And I don't even have a pot of squirrel stew.
All the great men upon this earth
Have confused me since my birth.
I've been over land and been over sea
Trying to find answer 'bout the squirrel in the tree.
But now that I am ninety three
There's no way that I can see...

If the squirrel piaba and the man piaba
and the walnut fall on Bermuda grass,
The cat root, dog root, raccoon root UH!,
But only squirrel find the cache.

[mugaliens]

Considering the obstacles they have to navigate in the wild, it's entirely reasonable!

[Stuart van Onselen]

Rats are rats.
Pigeons are feathered rats.
Squirrels are rats with good PR.

[Whirlpool]

Hmm.. what if the nuts disappeared?

What will happen to the squirrels?


:think: ;)

[Laguna]

Hmm.. what if the nuts disappeared?

What will happen to the squirrels?


:think: ;)
Their diet will shift more to birds eggs.

[Larry Jacks]

Originally Posted by Larry Jacks
Some people think of squirrels as "tree rats" but I think they're quite intelligent. They have excellent problem solving skills and their agility is amazing.

And rats don't?

Have you ever seen a rat jumping from tree to tree? Rats can do some impressive things but for overall agility, I rank squirrels higher.

[Jens]

Originally Posted by Larry Jacks
Some people think of squirrels as "tree rats" but I think they're quite intelligent. They have excellent problem solving skills and their agility is amazing.

And rats don't?

Have you ever seen a rat jumping from tree to tree? Rats can do some impressive things but for overall agility, I rank squirrels higher.

I was talking about the intelligence. I'm not an expert by any means, but I don't know if it's obvious without some demonstration that squirrels are more intelligent than rats.

[crosscountry]

this is taking us back to the next sentient species thread.

[Maksutov]

this is taking us back to the next sentient species thread.Oh, rats!