Hand-feeding squirrels accidentally changed their skulls
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NewsAnimalsHand-feeding squirrels accidentally changed their skullsRed squirrels fed peanuts showed signs of weaker bite force versus those getting their own nuts Squirrels love peanuts of course, but peanuts may not love them back. Populations of red squirrels fed a supplemental diet of peanuts developed weaker jaws than those living on a natural, harder nut diet.Simon Hind/500px/Getty Images PlusBy Bethany Brookshire26 seconds agoSoft diet, weak jaws. If red squirrels eat too many peanuts, their jaws end up weaker than the jaws of squirrels eating natural diets, researchers report January 15 in Royal Society Open Science. The results show that supplemental feeding can produce changes in squirrel morphology, potentially affecting their future success.The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) has a dedicated fan base in Great Britain. They are the native squirrel for the U.K., and yet a large proportion of the population probably has never seen one, says Phil Cox, an anatomist at University College London.
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