Squirrels are usually willing to climb higher to reach their favorite foods, shows new research appearing in Animal Behaviour. Extensive lab studies have found that animals "devalue" rewards that cost extra time and effort—for example, by choosing worse foods that are in easy reach. But University of Exeter researchers, who suspected wild animals would behave differently, tested this by offering wild gray squirrels a preferred food (almond pieces) and a less-preferred food (pumpkin seeds) on poles of varying heights.

Squirrels are usually willing to climb higher to reach their favorite foods, shows new research appearing in Animal Behaviour. Extensive lab studies have found that animals “devalue” rewards that cost extra time and effort—for example, by choosing worse foods that are in easy reach. But University of Exeter researchers, who suspected wild animals would behave differently, tested this by offering wild gray squirrels a preferred food (almond pieces) and a less-preferred food (pumpkin seeds) on poles of varying heights.

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