Odor as a factor in nut discovery by fox squirrels

TitleOdor as a factor in nut discovery by fox squirrels
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1994
AuthorsLuft, J, Malinowski, J, Briggs, JM, Smith, CC
JournalTransactions of the Kansas Academy of Science
Volume97
Pagination1 -3
Accession NumberKNZ00458
Abstract

Walnuts and bur oak acorns were buried in alternate positions in a 10-×-10 grid in a riparian forest with 10-m spacing between nuts. Bur oak acorns soaked in walnut extract and walnuts were buried in a second grid of similar spacing. Fox squirrels removed walnuts fastest and at the same rate in both grids, whereas acorns soaked in walnut extract were removed faster than unsoaked acorns but slower than walnuts. In the light of earlier studies, these observations are interpreted as showing that squirrels can smell buried walnuts from a greater distance than buried acorns.

URLhttp://www.jstor.org/stable/3628246
DOI10.2307/3628246