Watch a brave squirrel stand up to rattlesnake with a full belly
A California ground squirrel tossed wood chips, jumped and flicked its tail at a southern Pacific rattlesnake that appeared to have had a big meal.
A squirrel has gone viral after it refused to back down and defended itself from a menacing rattlesnake.
The tense showdown happened around 6 p.m. on June 11 at the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge, said Sally Brown, a wildlife refuge manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) who recorded the footage.
Brown said the snake seen in the video had just eaten a large meal – possibly another squirrel.
“This is something the remaining squirrel clearly wasn’t happy about,” Brown said.
In the nail-biting video, a squirrel can be seen in a standoff with a southern Pacific rattlesnake, crouching down before it pushed wood chips toward the snake as the reptile sounded off the rattling noise that gives the predator its name. The squirrel then inched closer and continued throwing wood chips at the snake.
Watch the faceoff
As the clip continued, the squirrel threw more wood chips at the snake, putting distance between the two but never turning its back.
“I eventually tried to creep a little closer and the ground squirrel ran off, but the rattlesnake stayed put,” Brown wrote.
USFWS: Snake was digesting its meal, but squirrel ‘didn’t want it in the area anymore’
While the video shared online is just over two minutes long, the ordeal lasted about eight minutes, the USFWS said.
Brown, who recorded the footage, said rattlesnakes are “lie-in-wait predators,” meaning when they bite prey and inject them with venom. The snakes quickly bite their prey, paralyzing it and making it easier to consume, according to the USFWS. Sometimes, they use all of their venom on one meal, Brown said.
This snake appeared to be resting and letting its food digest, Brown said. The rattlesnake in this case rattled to warn the squirrel and lunged in retaliation, but it did not chase the squirrel because it was likely too full from its recent meal.
“The squirrel didn’t want it in the area anymore,” she added.
According to the USFWS, squirrels are known to protect themselves and their burrows, as well as warning nearby squirrels and protecting their young or close relatives.
Calling the acts of bravery “anti-snake tactics,” the agency said squirrels often heat up their tails to ward the snakes off.
Rattlesnakes are part of the “pit vipers” family that includes cottonmouths and copperheads, the USFWS said. The snakes have heat-sensing pits near their eyes to help them detect prey. When squirrels heat up their tails, they confuse the snake’s heat sensors.
Why are rattlesnakes important?
When the video made its rounds online, some social media users said they gained a new sense of respect for squirrels. Others said they were rooting for the snake.
Others found humor in the ordeal and referenced a certain celebrity squirrel of sorts.
“Sandy Cheeks said you ain’t from Texas are ya now,” shared one user.
The southern Pacific rattlesnake captured on video is one of the most common rattlesnake species in the San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Brown said.
The agency said on its website there are three other species in San Diego County as well: the Red Diamond, Sidewinder, and Speckled rattlesnake.
Rattlesnakes are important members of the food chain because they ensure small mammal populations are in balance, the USFWS said.
By keeping small mammal populations balanced, rattlesnakes also support a healthy plant community, the agency said.
This story was updated to fix an inaccuracy regarding the species of snakes found in San Diego County.
Contributing: Jenna Hecker, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.