UC Davis robosquirrels make discovery by interacting with live rattlesnakes

Robot squirrels from UC Davis are being sent near San Jose to continue a research project on the interaction between squirrels and rattlesnakes. Robot squirrels in the lab have shown how squirrels signal to snakes with heat and tail flagging. Through field experiments, researchers aim to learn more about rattlesnake behavior. Sanjay Joshi, who built the original ‘robosquirrels,’ is now working with snake expert Rulon Clark of San Diego University. The tail flagging movement and warming of the tail are the two squirrel behaviors in reaction to rattlesnakes that the former and current research focuses on. Because rattlesnakes can see in the infrared, the researchers thought the squirrels might be sending a signal to the snakes. Since there is no way to separate tail flagging from tail heating with live squirrels, Joshi's lab built a squirrel with a heatable tail and tail flagging mechanism. With this, they discovered the first infrared communication between animals.