Normally when I post pictures of squirrels, they are cute and cuddly - like this one.
Occasionally, squirrels are not so cute and cuddly - such as in this photograph from January 2009.
What is that squirrel doing?
It's eating a female American Goldfinch, of course!
But, aren't squirrels herbivores?
No, even though their teeth would indicate that they are herbivores - squirrels have big incisors and flat, ridged molars and they lack the sharp canine teeth found in carnivores and most omnivores.
But, like most rodents, squirrels are opportunistic omnivores that will readily consume meat if it is available. This squirrel happened to catch a goldfinch that strayed too close at the bird feeder. Other items on their diet include insects, mice and other small mammals, and bird eggs.
Not quite so cute and cuddly now, are they?
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