Female Squirrels Don’t Care Who They Mate With!

Summary: So basically, the title says it all. Here’s the cool thing though: being related doesn’t matter. It’s a common fact that incest as a human is very disgusting and that people don’t do it because what’s the point, anyway? The children that would result from incest would most likely have some form of physical, mental, or emotional defect. With squirrels though, there are no malfunctions like humans. People aren’t sure why this is exactly, but that’s how things are when you’re a squirrel.

Impact: Apparently, polygamy isn’t all that wrong in Animal Land for a male squirrel. A male mating with multiple females and then running off is totally okay, as long as the female can mate with other squirrels, and even then they don’t care if they’re related or not. And this is why squirrels don’t have marriage. It’s more like a “friends with benefits” sort of thing, because the female just wants to have a litter of babies. Don’t ask me. I’m just reporting the facts. It seems, however, like that’s what they think they live for. I know this is part of nature, and having a big litter helps get more food for winter and for keeping each other warm, but I would not enjoy watching my mates run off again, and again, and again, and so on.

Critique: I wonder if I would like being a squirrel. . . Don’t judge me for wondering how my life would be different or how I would die if I was a squirrel. I am weird in its entire entirety, and am entirely proud of my intelligence or lack thereof. But really, nobody has ever been a squirrel and been able to recount their life. (I actually don’t think anyone would say anything even if they thought they were because insane asylums are scary enough to look at and straightjackets seem very uncomfortable.) Being a squirrel would be stressful in my opinion, because you’d have to get nuts and stuff for winter and possibly worry about children and have to worry about them or yourself getting eaten by a predator. And then there’s the trauma rooting from losing a child to a hawk – or a human – and handling a certain vengeance that comes with it. I would very much enjoy having no homework and not have to deal with the looming subject of my career and salary, but having everything trying to kill you is very stressful. Yes, very stressful indeed.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080620115855.htm