They Ran Experiments on This Squirrel. Big Mistake. He Won Every Single One.

[music] >> That stump. Is it a chipmunk? It looks like a chipmunk all right, but it's Earl, a golden-mantled ground squirrel. We call him that because of the golden fur around his neck and head. His name is Squeak, Squeak the squirrel. When a squirrel whistles, others stop and listen. What do you think the whistles mean? All day long, Squeak looks for seeds and nuts. He eats some food where he finds it, and some he carries away to his nest in the ground. A squirrel doesn't like others around when he's eating. He growls and chases them away. Let's see what Squeak does when he meets a squirrel that he's never seen before. We'll fool him with a mirror. Well, he thinks that squirrel in the mirror will run away, but he just sits and nibbles, too. Say, what kind of a squirrel is this anyway? Hmm, looks like a squirrel, but he doesn't smell right, does he, Squeak? And he certainly doesn't feel right. Well, a squirrel like that's a waste of time, and Squeak has work to do. Hold very still, a squirrel will come up and eat out of your hand. Watch how he shoves the nuts into pouches in his cheeks. Look at his long whiskers. Do you think they would tickle your hand? Being good to a squirrel makes him more friendly. Now, Squeak isn't afraid at all. He goes right after that food. If you tie the nut to a string, he grabs it. The more you pull, the harder he pulls. See how he bites off the shell to get at the nut. He knows how to get what he wants. A squirrel is a smart little animal, don't you think so? And when peanuts are hidden in a box, Squeak will poke his head in to get them. He shoves as many nuts as possible into his pouches. See how his cheeks bulge? And still he keeps getting more. His cheeks are so fat, he can't get his head into the smaller blocks. Have you ever seen anyone work so hard to get what he wants? Now, let's try something new. We found out that a squirrel will work for food, that he can use his paws to reach and pull, and that he can learn simple things like finding peanuts in a box. But, can he learn something he hasn't tried before? Let's see how smart a squirrel really is. Here's a glass tube. We'll put some peanuts in one end of the tube. Squeak has been watching us. Do you think he can get the nuts? He goes right to the tube and uses his tongue to reach them. He sees that the best way to get the nuts is from the open end of the tube. But now his tongue isn't long enough to reach those that are left. So, he sniffs and licks and scratches. He tries to push his face into the tube, but still he can't get the peanuts that he can see. Shall we help him? All right, let's tie a string to the nut. Do you think Squeak can learn to pull the string? There. He sees where the nut is, but he can't get it. Perhaps at the other end of the tube. No, that didn't work. He moves his nose back and forth under the nut. He even touches the string, but leaves without pulling it. Let's push the nut in a little farther and try again. He's beginning to get curious about that string. See him sniff at it? Watch now. He pulled the string. Was it luck? Well, we'll let him take the nut to his nest and then try it again. This time he faces the tube and pulls the string with his teeth and paws. Here's something that will show you just how well Squeak can learn a lesson. We'll push the peanut far into the tube with a stick. Watch how Squeak acts after he's practiced many, many times. He goes right to the string and pulls hand and over hand. He certainly learned that lesson well, didn't he? Here's another test. We'll put a peanut on one end of the string and a stick on the other. We'll hang the two ends through a wire screen. This time Squeak has to do more than pull the string. He has to pull the right end. Will he find the end with the nut? Hmm, there must be something to eat around here someplace. Let's put another peanut on the string. Wrong again. He tries so hard that he makes the same mistake over and over. And then he turns to the right end of the string again. Let's change the peanut and the stick around. Will that mix him up? No. He's learned to pull the right end almost without looking. How do you think he does it? The more lessons he learns, the more he gets to eat. Isn't Squeak getting to be a fat little squirrel? Now for another new problem. We'll tie the peanut on the string and hang it so it's out of reach. This time the string is out of reach, too. What do you think he'll do now? At first, when he sees the peanut, he reaches for it. He sniffs around and stretches for the nut again. He even holds onto the rod with one paw while he reaches. Now Squeak sees the string, but he catches his tail on it and is frightened away. We'll try again. Now watch him use one paw and his nose to pull the string. He learned a problem in just two tries. Here's a different test. We'll hang the peanut out of the squirrel's reach. A string is tied to a box that can be pulled. Can you figure out what Squeak should do to get the nut? There. He got another nut to put away in his nest. Let's try this again. See how he runs back and forth and looks over the problem. He's learned that he can use a string to help him get something he wants. He didn't know how to use a string when he was living out in the woods, did he? Does it surprise you to find out how much an animal can learn? Uh-oh. That time he pulled the box so that it isn't quite under the nut. >> [music] [music] [music] >> There, he did it. There'll never be a shortage of nuts for a hard-working, smart little squirrel like Squeak.