People often interpret animal behaviors through a human lens, attributing emotions like sadness or mourning. This tendency to anthropomorphize is common with squirrels, whose reactions to a deceased companion might lead observers to wonder if they experience grief. Understanding if squirrels truly mourn requires examining their natural behaviors and scientific interpretations.
Squirrel Social Dynamics
Squirrel social structures vary by species. Tree-dwelling squirrels are often solitary, while ground-dwelling species live in colonies. Despite their independent nature, gray squirrels can form complex social systems, particularly among females who may remain in their birth areas. These interactions include grooming, playing, and nose-touching, especially among close relatives.
The female alone raises her young. Squirrel offspring are born altricial, meaning they are helpless, blind, and naked at birth. Mothers are protective of their litters, defending their nests, known as dreys. Squirrels communicate through vocalizations like barks, chirps, and alarm calls, and body language such as tail flicking. They also use scent marking for territory and reproductive status.
Observed Responses to Deceased Squirrels
Squirrels encountering deceased conspecifics, especially their young, exhibit behaviors that appear poignant. They have been observed staying near or attempting to move a dead individual. Actions include sitting upright, appearing distressed, and repetitive grooming near the deceased. Squirrels have also shown agitation, distress calls, and prolonged presence around a dead companion, leading some to interpret these as mourning.
Mother squirrels have been documented carrying their dead offspring. This behavior is consistent with their strong maternal instincts, as mothers frequently move their young to relocate nests, rescue fallen kits, or transport them to safer locations. Flying squirrels have been observed gathering in groups around a deceased individual, huddling, touching noses, and emitting soft chirping sounds. Reports also describe squirrels appearing to bury their dead, covering them with leaves and debris.
Scientific Interpretations of Behavior
Scientists approach attributing complex emotions like grief to animals with caution. It is challenging to definitively conclude that squirrels experience grief based solely on observable actions. Researchers consider alternative explanations for these reactions that do not necessarily involve emotional mourning.
Moving a body may be an instinctual response to prevent disease or avoid attracting predators and scavengers. A mother carrying dead offspring might act on a deep-seated parental instinct to protect or retrieve her young, rather than expressing emotional grief. Such actions could also stem from confusion or a need to investigate an unresponsive individual.
Defining Animal Grief
Defining “grief” in non-human species is a significant scientific challenge. While animals form attachments and exhibit behaviors that mimic human grief, distinguishing between an internal emotional state and an instinctual response remains difficult. Some scientists define grief as a marked change in an animal’s essential functions, such as eating, sleeping, or socializing, triggered by another’s death.
Species with more complex social structures are generally more likely to display behaviors interpreted as grief. However, the scientific community remains hesitant to use “grief” due to anthropomorphism concerns, preferring to focus on measurable behaviors. While squirrels exhibit strong parental bonds and profound reactions to death, it is difficult to definitively conclude they experience grief like humans.