Brain Junk

Nothing like rubbing yourself down with snakeskin jerky to keep yourself from getting eaten. Today we check out the parallel evolution of the California ground squirrel and rattlesnakes. It's an olfactory camouflage arms race that on a bad day, ends with someone getting eaten.Show Notes:UC Davis: Squirrels Use Snake ScentRoyal Society B: Donning your enemy's cloak: ground squirrels exploit rattlesnake scent to reduce predation riskNature: Squirrel Masks Scent with Rattlesnake Skin (Cool video of squirrels in action) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com