Why will a squirrel stand up?

Introduction

                Sometimes squirrels are observed standing up.  They could have many reasons for standing up including as a warning to others or to see better.  If it is a warning to others, they would not do the standing behavior when other squirrels are around.  If it is a way for them to get a better look at something, they would stand when there are no other squirrels as well as when they are not alone.  I hypothesize that standing is a way to see something more clearly since squirrels are not social animals.

Materials and Methods

                Squirrels will first need to be isolated from each other.  Then each squirrel will need to be exposed to a dog’s bark, a human approaching, and the cutout of a cat.  Then the squirrel’s behavior will need to be recorded as either standing or not standing.  Then the squirrels will need to be brought together and exposed to the same stimuli.  Their behaviors will then be recorded and compared to the behaviors that each squirrel did whenever it was alone and exposed to the same situations.  A t-test can then be used to determine if there are significant differences for each squirrel’s standing behavior when it is alone and when it is around other squirrels.

Makowska, I., & Kramer, D. L. (2007). Vigilance during food handling in grey squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis. Animal Behaviour, 74(1), 153-158. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.11.019