"Small and Courageous" / The California Ground Squirrel

            There is a commonly seen animal in Yosemite that is loaded with personality and has an unmatched sense of courage. This would be the California ground squirrel. This little rodent has a magnetic personality and a highly unusual way of defending itself. When confronted by predators, California ground squirrels furiously shake their tails and actually heat their tails up by as much as 12 degrees Fahrenheit. To a heat sensing organism like a snake, this sudden flash of heat startles them and sends them scurrying off in the opposite direction. This is the first example of infrared communication ever observed in the animal world! Weirder yet, mother squirrels have been observed chewing up shed rattlesnake skins and then meticulously grooming their pups. This rattlesnake "perfume" is thought to camouflage the pup's scent. So next time you see one of these little rodents in Yosemite, realize you just might be seeing one of the most clever and courageous animals of them all...( This information was taken from an article posted by a Yosemite Valley Park Ranger--no name given )
   

Taken on: April 12, 2016

Tags:

California

California Ground Squirrel

rodent

clever

courageous

mammal

NGC

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Sets appears in: • Yosemite Trip April 2016

Groups appears in: • Photos * Images [No AI or SL] • Richard's Flora and Fauna more » • Nature's Carousel - Closed! • Nature's Golden Carousel ~ Closed! • Nature's Gallery (Post 1 / Award 3) • Living Jewels of Nature • Precious Living Jewels of Nature • Members Choice (Admin Invite Only) • Best of Nature's Gallery (Invite Only) Award 2 • B_N *** BEAUTIFUL NATURE *** (P1 / A4) - COMMENT 4 PHOTOS • AMAZING IMPRESSIONS OF NATURE Post 1 / Award 4 • NATURE'S SPIRIT (by invitation) (post 1/award 1) • Illuminations in the Wild • ! FavTop Master 300+ (P1, A+F4) • Bokeh : Spots'n'Blurs • · Portraying animals · L1 · p1/a2/i1 • · Portraying animals · L2 · Best of · p1/a3 « less

Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ200, f/4.0, 1/200 sec, 43.3mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-FZ200
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	43.3mm
ISO:	100
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto bracket
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6.1.1 (Macintosh)
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