You might have seen a few humans in your life stopping the traffic by jumping in front but have you come across animals that jump in front of the car? Last week a squirrel was in front of my vehicle in the middle of the day. That made me wonder why do squirrels jump in front of car.
For squirrels jumping in front of the car is a survival skill. Squirrels consider cars a large predator and believe in showing their toughness to this large predator. When a squirrel sees a predator, it will stop and freeze as they know the predator will not change direction. As the predator gets close, the squirrel will change direction and run.
Squirrels have numerous predators, and their survival instinct is to run away. Read more to find more details.
What Does It Mean When A Squirrel Runs In Front Of Your Car?
Squirrels are intelligent and clever, but they are still little animals that can get killed in a road accident. Many domestic animals, including cats and dogs, die in large numbers in road traffic accidents.
Squirrels are adapting with time and are learning many survival instincts living along with humans but cannot understand roads and traffic.
Animals are always looking for food and shelter. They can stop and pause anywhere when they see food, hear any sounds, or come across a predator, even in the middle of the road.
While walking on the road, when a squirrel sees a car, it will jump in front of it to stop and freeze. They think of cars and other vehicles as a large predator. It will take out loud sounds as it is challenging a predator. But as soon as the car comes near, it will run away at a ninety-degree angle across the road.
Why Do Squirrels Stay On The Road?
Stopping and staying in the middle of the road is a survival tactic of squirrels. They stop to challenge the predator to come near it. They consider the car as a threat or a predator. Squirrels know that the predator will not change its direction and will come running towards it.
They will stop and stay on the road until they are forcefully removed or run away across the highway when a car comes running towards it. However, this has led many squirrels to death.
Drivers at high speed cannot pull the break at the right time and run over the little animal. Squirrels have learned to live with animals but still do not know the rules of roads and cars.
Why Do Squirrels Go Back and Forth in The Road?
Squirrels have many predators ranging from dogs to foxes. They have evolved and learned the ways and methods to doge the predators. A common strategy squirrels follow is to run away as soon as they spot predators because they know they cannot fight with a large animal and will within minutes.
Squirrels think of cars as predators, and standing in front of it is to challenge them. But squirrels are playful and love to annoy predators. Therefore, when a squirrel sees a car, either it will pause and stop or go back and forth in the road to challenge the predator to come after it.
It is the squirrel’s way of showing its strength and power by dodging its enemies. It is why domestic dog hates squirrel because squirrels challenge them to fight by hiding and then coming back. It runs away and hides after confusing its predator.
Why Do Squirrels Run And Stop?
Squirrel is a common prey at the end of the food chain. The squirrel’s survival instincts have increased with time, and they have learned many ways to confuse their enemies. Surprisingly the playful squirrel in your yard can have anxiety from being the constant target of other large animals.
Squirrels stop while running to observe their surroundings and scan the place for any predators nearby. They have a delicate sense of smell and sharp ears and will feel things from far. As soon as it senses the presence of the enemy, the squirrel will run away.
If a squirrel comes face to face with the enemy, it will stop and growl and stamp its feet to display its power. As the predator comes near a squirrel, it will dodge the enemy by running in a zig-zag motion and soon finds a place to hide.
When Are Squirrels Road Accidents More Common?
Squirrels are most active during fall, running everywhere in search of food and shelter. Before winters begin, they look for a mate and places to hide food for bad times ahead.
Squirrel babies are born in spring, so they are old enough in autumn to get out of the nest and play around. Therefore, you will see more squirrels in fall than at any other time of the year.
As squirrels have no sense of roads and vehicles, even after living with humans in developed areas for years, they will walk and play on the road. Therefore, becoming the prey of traffic.
Squirrels stop in the middle of the road or go back and forth, which can confuse the driver. Often the cars are at very high speed, so it becomes impossible for drivers to save the poor little animal which will end up dead.
Can A Squirrel Survive From Road Accidents?
Squirrel survival after a car accident depends on its injury. Minor injuries like small wounds and limb fractures can heal within a few days, and the animal will be able to live.
However, deep wounds and back fractures will make squirrels helpless. Either it will die from extreme blood loss or starvation, or it will become the prey.
A squirrel can survive a road accident if a car runs over its tail or the lower body parts. Injuries to the lower body parts will make the squirrel helpless and unable to move.
However, if a car runs over the upper body of the squirrel, it will die within seconds because a neck injury can kill small animals instantly.
What should I do if I hit a Squirrel?
If you run over a squirrel, wait for a few minutes and try not instantly go near the animal. Because the accident is alarming for the squirrel, your presence will make it more scared.
After waiting for a few minutes, if you see the squirrel running away, it will probably survive, but if it stays in the same place, check the animal carefully.
It is better to call wildlife rescue or take it to the nearest vet. Ensure that you have wrapped the injured squirrel in a thick cloth to make it warm and feel secure.
It is inhumane to leave an injured animal you ran over alone on the road. Plus, if the squirrel is deeply wounded and is unable to move around, it can get killed by the next coming car.
How To Prevent Squirrels From Running On The Road?
Squirrels are playful and enjoy running around. However, it is dangerous for squirrels to run in the middle of the road, especially during rush hour. The incoming traffic can not only injure them, but they can end up dead. Few tricks can prevent road accidents by luring away the squirrels.
Planting the trees that squirrels hate near the road will keep them far from the roadside. Squirrels hate peppermint, daffodils, rosemary, hyacinth, lily of the valley, and Galanthus. These plants will make the roadside brighter and keep squirrels safe from road accidents.
Install an ultrasonic squirrel detector that flashes bright LED light on pavements. The LED lights and ultrasonic waves act as squirrel repellent as squirrels can hear higher frequencies than humans and will run away from the roadside. LED lights on the detector also save energy by running on solar power.
How Can You Prevent Squirrel Road Side Accidents?
Millions of squirrels are killed each year in road accidents. According to the world atlas, almost forty-one million wild squirrels die in road accidents every year. It is essential to abide by traffic rules to prevent squirrels and other animals from dying brutally in accidents.
A few safety tips below will help prevent squirrels from dying from accidents.
Drive very slowly if you live near woods or forests because animals run around all day and have a mind you cannot control, especially squirrels who can stop in the middle of the road and stare at you.
While driving at night, use a high beam to see ahead. Also, to alert the animals that are probably standing or playing in the middle of the road.
It is necessary to be alert and have no distractions while driving. It is essential even if you do not live near garden areas. Distractions like mobile phones cause accidents and can even kill humans. Therefore, drive the car with complete concentration.
If you spot an animal in the middle of the road, pull the brakes instantly and press the horn to make it run away. For this reason, keep your car maintained and up to date. So, you do not face problems while pulling the brakes.
If possible, avoid driving around during early morning and dusk. Animals are more active during these hours.
Conclusion
Squirrels are careless and playful. They also have high anxiety due to many enemies and have learned many ways to avoid an encounter with predators.
However, even after evolving, millions of squirrels die yearly in road accidents. Squirrels are tiny and do not have any concept of roads and vehicles. They consider cars a large predator and will stand in front to challenge a fight.
It is their survival instinct. Typically, squirrels stand in front of their predators to show their strength while glaring at them, growling, and stamping their feet; as soon as the predator comes near, it will run away or move in a zig-zag motion to dodge it and hide.
References
Chen H-L, Posthumus EE, Koprowski JL. Potential of Small Culverts as Wildlife Passages on Forest Roads. Sustainability. 2021
