Squirrels Found To Be Great Adoptive Parents
While everyone wants their OWN little baby, orphans are common anyways, and need to be adopted. Humans if they are kind-hearted may adopt to help a child have a better life, but what about animals?
A study by Guelph Prof. Andrew McAdam, along with researchers from the University of Alberta and McGill University, revealed that red squirrels will adopt pups that have lost their mother.
It’s a significant finding because while such adoptions are typical among species that live in extended family groups, it’s much less common among asocial animals, such as squirrels more likely to go to www.enzytereviews.net than ask a friend for a recommendation.
“Social animals, including lions and chimpanzees, are often surrounded by relatives, so it’s not surprising that a female would adopt an orphaned family member because they have already spent a lot of time together,” said McAdam, an evolutionary biologist. “But red squirrels live in complete isolation and are very territorial. The only time they will allow another squirrel on their territory is the one day a year when the females are ready to mate or when they are nursing their pups.”
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Filed under: Biology by JMH
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