Piet Van Wyk, the head ranger at MalaMala Private Game Reserve was out for a drive in Krueger National Park when a lucky encounter struck him and his group. The daughter of the famous leopardess Sibuye was spotted in an apple leaf tree!
As they admired the majestic female perched in the tree, something small darted around, catching both the eye of the audience and the eye of the young leopard: a squirrel! From that moment forward, the hunt was on!
All Brains no Braun
The little squirrel knew right away that if it stood any chance of outsmarting this ferocious predator, it needed to be creative while making its daring escape. The first step: exhausting the leopard.
In a heart-stopping chase, the squirrel darted up and down the tree, just barely avoiding the claws and jaws of the leopard, every move a testament to raw instinct and survival! By the way it was encouraging the game of cat and mouse, you would think the squirrel was either incredibly brave, or downright reckless, but you wouldn’t believe what happens next!
Staring into the Face of Your Enemy
It turns out that running up and down the tree served more than one purpose. Not only did the squirrel tire out the leopard who had repeatedly run up and down the tree, but it also left the leopard confused and disoriented as to where the squirrel had ended up.
The squirrel had done such a good job managing to confuse the leopard that it could remain frozen right in front of the leopard’s face without being detected! Would the squirrel’s creative tactics be enough to outsmart a predator 50 times its size?
In this case, the squirrel was delaying the inevitable. One accidental movement turned the leopard’s target lock right back on, and it was back to another round of up and down the tree.
A Last-Ditch Attempt
The squirrel knew its minutes were numbered, so it devised a plan to lose the leopard once and for all. It made a b-line for one of the highest points of the tree.
The leopard, hungry for a midday snack, followed without a second thought. Once it was high into the branches of the tree, the squirrel quickly made its final attempt at escape, knowing the leopard would take longer to get down, caught way up high in the tangled branches.
The squirrel’s clever efforts paid off as it darted into the bushes. The leopard eventually made it down the tree and darted off after it, but was not fast enough, and lost pursuit of her prey in the end.
Small But Sneaky
Squirrels are very common prey items in the savanna, being targeted by predators of varying sizes and species. Since they don’t have a large body size or any protective features on their side, squirrels often have to use their nimble body and creative behavioural techniques to their advantage.
Some of these behaviours include hiding, camouflaging, using dexterity to quickly outrun predators, staying very still to remain unseen, and using the environment to their advantage. Most of these were used by this sneaky little squirrel to great success.
Never Underestimate the Underdog
When it comes to survival in the African savanna, courage and quick thinking can trump brute strength. This tiny squirrel proved that even the fiercest predators can be outwitted by a clever underdog.