Anna AudlerLS1- Section 2JID: 304295761Snake Scent ApplicationTo hide their odor from Rattlesnakes, squirrels have been known to chew on shed Snake Skin and apply it to their fur, known as Snake Scent Application (SSA), in order to make them less prone to predators. This behavior was first seen in 2002 by a graduate student at the University of California, Davis and an observation was made that the squirrels apply the snake scent to their bodies to give them the scent of a Rattlesnake and make other snakes in the area believe that another snake is in the area, not prey (Goudarzi, 2007). SSA has led to the thought that certain species of animals learned to adapt and develop survival skills necessary to avoid predators. Within the squirrel species, we want to know if the SSA behavior patterns differ between the different types of species of squirrel. Our hypothesis for SSA behavior is that SSA behavior patterns in squirrels in not random, meaning that the squirrels prefer to apply the snake scent to a specific body region. In addition, our null hypothesis is that SSA behavior patterns in squirrels are random, meaning that squirrels apply the snake scent on random parts of their body. If SSA behavior is not random, then we should expect the SSA to be only on one specific body region. To test SSA behavior patterns in squirrels, we observed the patterns of two different typesof squirrels: S. beecheyi (California Ground Squirrel) and S. variegates (Rock Squirrel). To do this, we watched video recordings of four individual squirrels of either species, California Ground Squirrels (recorded in Winters, CA) and Rock Squirrels (recorded in Caballo, NM), taking note of how many times each squirrel applied the snake scent to the five body regions: flank, head, front legs, hind legs, and tails (Life Science Core, 2008-14). While we only observedone squirrel (S. variegates), we gathered the data for the other squirrel (S. beecheyi) from a nearby group doing the exact same research. The data we gathered was based on how many times the squirrel applied the snake scent to its fur, marking a tally mark each time it applied it. Afterwards, we totaled the amount of applications per body part and added them together to make a grand total: Species Indiv. FlankHead Front Leg Hind Leg Tail Row TotalS. beecheyi 1 5 0 0 0 14 192 10 0 0 1 26 373 5 0 0 2 15 224 14 0 0 0 0 14Total 34 0 0 3 55 92S. variegatus 1 6 0 0 3 10 192 10 0 0 16 10 363 10 0 0 2 12 244 11 0 0 0 14 25Total 37 0 0 21 46 104Anna AudlerAfter we totaled the data, we calculated our values for the Chi-Square results for each squirrel:S. beecheyiFlank Head Front Leg Hind Leg Tail TotalExpected 18 18 18 19 19 92Observed 34 0 0 3 55 92o-e 16 -18 -18 -16 36(o-e)^2 256 324 324 256 1296(o-e)^2/e 14.2 18 18 13.5 68.2 131.9S. variegatesFlank Head Front Leg Hind Leg Tail TotalExpected 21 21 20 21 21 104Observed 37 0 0 21 46 104o-e 16 -21 -20 0 25(o-e)^2 256 441 400 0 625(o-e)^2/e 12.2 21 20 0 29.8 83The Chi-Square value for the California Ground Squirrel is 131.9, and the value for the Rock Squirrel is 83. For this experiment, our degree of freedom is 4 and the critical values at that degree of freedom are 9.488 for 0.05 confidence and 13.277 for 0.01 confidence. Given that our Chi-Square values are greater than the critical values, the results of this experiment accept our hypothesis and reject our null hypothesis.The data obtained after observing the SSA behavior of both S. beecheyi and S. variegatus supports our hypothesis that SSA behavior is not random. Both species of squirrels showed SSAbehavior favoring the flank, hind legs, and tail. However, it is unknown if other factors can affectSSA, such as the age, sex, and species of squirrel. In order to determine whether SSA behavior is affected by those factors, we would need to run more experiments. For example, in order to determine if SSA behavior is exhibited by all squirrel species, we should observe different squirrel species all of which should be in different environments.Anna AudlerReferencesGoudarzi, Sara. "Squirrels Use "Snake Perfume" to Fool Predators."National Geographic. National Geographic Society, 21 Dec. 2007. Web. 14 Jan. 2015Life Science Core, UCLA. 2008-14. Life Science 1 Evolution Ecology and BiodiversityDemonstration Manual. Edition