Squirrels Ascend for Superior Snacks

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Researchers at the University of Exeter conducted extensive lab studies on wild grey squirrels, offering them a preferred food (almond pieces) and a less-preferred food (pumpkin seeds) on poles of varying heights. Even when the almonds were raised higher off the ground, requiring a longer climb, the squirrels' preference for the almonds only reduced slightly, suggesting they were willing to work harder to get the better food reward.

Why it matters

This study provides insight into how wild animals make decisions about expending time and effort to obtain preferred food rewards, challenging the assumption that animals always choose the easiest option. It also shows how an animal's social status can affect their cost-benefit calculations, with less dominant squirrels more likely to choose the easy-to-access food to avoid potential conflicts with rivals.

The details

The researchers tested 11 wild grey squirrels, who made more than 4,000 choices in total during the food preference tests. They found that even when the preferred almond pieces were placed higher up, requiring more effort to reach, the squirrels only slightly reduced their preference for the almonds over the less-preferred pumpkin seeds. This suggests the squirrels were willing to work harder to get the better food reward. The study also found that less dominant squirrels were more likely to choose the easy-to-access food, potentially because they face a higher risk of losing the hard-to-reach reward if a rival appears.

• The study was carried out on the University of Exeter's Streatham Campus.
• The research was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council and published in the journal Animal Behaviour in 2026.

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