Pine martens might not have the glamorous status of Wyoming’s big apex predators, but they are hugely important, even if they’re occasionally humiliated by squirrels, a biologist said.
Squirrels will pull the clever trick of getting a predator to follow them up a tree trunk. Then, the squirrels will lead the predator on a fruitless chase, burning laps around the tree, and always keeping the predator on the other side of the trunk.
A video taken during a recent winter in Yellowstone National Park shows a red squirrel doing just that to a pine marten — which is a member of the weasel family.
Pine martens are very quick and elusive, making capturing them on video in the act of hunting rare.
The marten should feel no shame over not catching the pesky squirrel, said John Koprowski, a zoology professor and dean of the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment & Natural Resources.
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