Psychic squirrels.
Red squirrels living in the Canadian Yukon and Europe seem to be
psychic when it comes to food. Researchers report that the animals are
able to predict when spruce trees will produce an overabundance of seed
cones, their main food source. The squirrels then produce two
consecutive litters just in time to take advantage of the bounty. Many
trees produce relatively little seed in most years. But in some years,
the trees produce an unusuaLLy large amount. This helps assure that some
seed will remain uneaten and have a chance to grow. How the squirrels
manage to predict a bumper crop of seed cones remains a mystery. Stan
Boutin, a scientist at the University of Alberta in Canada, says they
could be getting cues from the buds on the trees. They may be able to
tell. visually which buds will become cones, or get chemical, cues from
plant hormones in the buds.
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