Study claims road noise makes gray squirrels feel safer

By Filipa Gaspar

Gray squirrels "feel safer" around road noise, a study found.

Research from the University of Exeter reveals the paradoxical ways gray squirrels balance risk and foraging in urban environments.

Researchers found that squirrels felt safer from predators near roads when noise levels were consistently loud.

Human disturbance has a significant impact on the behavior and habitat use of urban wildlife but in some situations, urban gray squirrels may actually feel safer from predators where our activity is high.

Researchers measured how much food squirrels left behind in standardized food patches in different places - reflecting how dangerous they perceived their local surroundings to be.

They found that squirrels felt safer from predators near roads when noise le