From the squirrel that stole your sandwich to the one that sat strangely close to your friend on the park bench, or the one that made prolonged eye contact on your run, most of us have had strange encounters with these skittish creatures. As our urban populations become denser, more and more people may encounter squirrels that seem bolder, smarter or more aggressive. At least, those might be the words you find yourself using to describe your squirrel encounters.
But is that what’s actually happening? Discovering the true reason behind a given squirrel's behavior is challenging, even for the people who study them. And it's possible that as you recount your wild squirrel story, you might be misinterpreting the situation — or forgetting to consider that from the animal's perspective, you might be the one acting strange.
