Did This Squirrel Fake Its Own Death?

Did This Squirrel Fake Its Own Death?

The post Did This Squirrel Fake Its Own Death? appeared first on A-Z Animals.

Squirrels are quite playful creatures, and their shenanigans can get them into some strange situations. If you’ve ever looked out your window and admired this small creature in all its glory, you’ve likely caught yourself chuckling at its antics. Take the flying squirrel in this YouTube video, for instance. After acting like a hilarious little menace, the little guy appears to fake his own death. In fact, he even knocks over his owner’s broom and places it over his body while lying flat on his back. It really does look like he’s playing dead.

Are Squirrels Smart?

Squirrels are smart and playful creatures.

©Frozenmost/iStock via Getty Images

Though many people tend to make fun of squirrels’ unpredictable and energetic behaviors, they are actually extremely intelligent creatures. In fact, they’re known to be great problem-solvers. Squirrels have impressive memories, especially when it comes to food sources. They perform a practice called scatter hoarding, which entails foraging for food and burying it in various places. This, of course, requires the animals to remember where they have hidden their food and use spatial reasoning to find it later.

The squirrel in the linked video is known as a flying squirrel, which is a small, nocturnal rodent that can glide (not truly fly) between trees. According to the National Wildlife Federation, they tend to reside in forests and woodlands. This particular squirrel, like others in its family, is a bright and curious animal.

Do Squirrels Play Dead?

Flying squirrels can glide between trees.

©Tony Campbell/Shutterstock.com

While squirrels are playful and silly animals, they probably don’t intentionally fake their own deaths. Although it might look that way, as in the YouTube video, it’s more likely that the animal was engaging in a natural behavior or responding to its environment, rather than intentionally playing dead. Though the YouTube video states that the squirrel broke into a person’s house, multiple sources confirm that the squirrel in the video is actually a pet flying squirrel, not a wild animal.

“He sometimes watches TV with me, so that could be how he learned his trick,” the owner told The Independent.

However, squirrels often freeze as a form of self-protection. When they’re in close contact with a predator, some squirrels will experience a “freeze” response, similar to the one humans produce in reaction to trauma. Some squirrels will remain frozen for minutes on end until the threat is gone. Because some predators rely on visual cues like movement to identify their prey, this tactic helps squirrels remain unseen.

The post Did This Squirrel Fake Its Own Death? appeared first on A-Z Animals.

May 07, 2025 at 05:00PMSammi Caramela