We all know it’s a tough world out there in the wild for little animals. I was delighted to find out this fascinating discovery about California ground squirrels. It seems they have surprising defense against rattle snakes.
When an adult ground squirrel finds a rattlesnake, it begins to taunt the snake. The squirrel dashes into striking range, whips its tail about, bites the snake’s tail and kicks sand on it. While a rattlesnake can strike with lightening speed, the little ground squirrel is even faster and well able
to dart out of the way. Even if it was bitten, the venom wouldn’t kill it since these squirrels have proteins in their blood that detoxify the poison. Frustrated snakes have been known to simply retreat when faced with this treatment.
Researchers have learned that the squirrels’ bag of tricks is even deeper. Rattlesnakes can see heat as infrared light. When the ground squirrel is taunting the rattlesnake, it sends additional blood to its tail, causing it to heat up, producing a very obvious infrared image for the snake, further confusing it. Interestingly enough, when the ground squirrel taunts a gopher snake, which cannot detect the infrared, it does not heat its tail. {Creation Moments}
This short video shows the infrared heat that the squirrel uses only with rattlesnakes.
In contrast, this next video shows the unheated tail, in the presence of a gopher snake.
Copyright © BBC Natural History Unit
Looks like an evolutionary conundrum. How could a small creature, develop these defenses before being eaten? Considering the speed with which a rattlesnake can strike, there would hardly be enough time to make “adjustments.” Time to develop poison- neutralizing proteins in the blood, and the ability to turn on and off the heat in the tail. Nope. The perpetual fall-back of evolutionary biologists – “time, time, and more time” just won’t play here. There just isn’t enough time.
Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for Me?
Jeremiah 32:27
sage
Amazing! The more science knows, the more evidence for an Intelligent Designer.
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;
to search out a matter is the glory of kings.” (Proverbs 25:2 NIV)
“God delights in concealing things; scientists delight in discovering things. “(Proverbs 25:2 MSG)
Wow–God has created amazing things!!! About 8 years ago, our Yorkie was biten by a rattlesnake near our front door. In less than an hour he was near death. Luckily, he survived. The vet was closed. I always knew that my husband was a wonderful doctor–just not to doggies!
So glad to hear your husband could save your little Yorkie! That’s a tiny dog to deal with such an attack.
DW – Good man to have around
Fascinating stuff about these squirrels!
Sometimes a little hot tail is a good thing.
DLKSR sometimes… but in my travels around this world… sometimes not…
Wow–how fascinating & I learned another new tidbit !