California squirrels show carnivorous behavior for the first time

Well no, the first observation was in 1943 https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article-abstract/24/2/231/9...

Which is noted in the paper (2 points) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42449402

I don't know about California squirrels, but the red european ones have no problem at all eating eggs or just hatched bird chicks in their nests.

As do Abert's squirrels in Colorado.

Free protein!

( Seen by myself several times. )

I used to hear this a lot — that (red European) squirrels are cute, but they take bird eggs! Then I started seeing, from lots of sources that should be reliable, that squirrels are in fact vegetarian, and that there little or no evidence of them taking eggs or animals. And then this article shows up, and I no longer know what to believe. Was "squirrels are vegetarian" a cover-up by Big Squirrel?

It is not that surprising given that mice and rats seem to like meat I put in my traps.

I'm not surprised. I've read about similar behavior in deer & hippos. They're herbivores for the most part, but not always strict vegetarians.

"CA squirrels _filmed_ showing carnivorous behavior for the first time" would probably be a more accurate title

So it begins.

You fucked with squirrels, Morty!