In which I learn about squirrels and am horrified

I found the following note in my Moleskine this morning:

"Do squirrels drink blood?
Are they at all carnivorous?"

This came out of a conversation I had with Brian and Liz over cocktails last night where he claimed to have seen, on more than one occasion, a live squirrel drinking the blood of a roadkilled squirrel and that one of his friends had seen a squirrel drag a dead squirrel into its lair.

I was borderline apoplectic with denial and disbelief and bourbon. Obviously, if he had seen a squirrel fussing over a dead one, it was because it loved it and was sad and was probably kissing it goodbye. And if one squirrel had dragged a dead one into its nest/lair/den (home!) — and I'm not buying that it did — it was either because it wanted to try to resuscitate it or to give it a proper burial with a wee bouquet of flowers clutched between its paws. 

So, today I did a quick Google for "do squirrels drink blood?" and didn't turn up anything and was feeling a bit smug about my body of squirrel knowledge and justified in my tendency toward sweetness-and-light anthropomorphization. Then I tried "cannibal squirrel" and holy crap, people! There are videos. I will never be the same. I need to go scrub my eyes out with soap.

I finished the second sleeve for Demi — did I mention that?

Comments

[Catherine]

ohhhh. I'm just not at all sure I wanted to know this.

[claudia]

I foresee squirrel-themed nightmares.

[Michelle]

Maybe squirrels are just that much more advanced in terms of recycling.

Maybe?

[eve]

Hi Stephanie. LTNS :-) Re: cannibalistic rodents, add mice to the list. I overbought mice for my snake once, and woke to find 1.5 mice and an untouched carrot. I was horrified (you would think I shouldn't be) and the snake had an immediate extra meal of cannibal.

[Gina]

I'm content to keep on with the sweetness-and-light anthropomorphization, thank you!