The Mystery of Blood Sucking Squirrels Predators of Deer that Live in the Wilderness of Borneo

The Mystery of Blood Sucking Squirrels Predators of Deer that Live in the Wilderness of Borneo

Mustafa Faith

Bloodsucking squirrel from the jungle of Borneo

 the jungle spread throughout Indonesia is indeed not fully explored to the fullest. Occasionally, new and unique animals that can erect a sack are found there.

One unique animal that is rarely exposed from the wilds of Borneo, is a thick tailed squirrel. Not just any squirrel friend, this animal reportedly is a blood-sucking animal that often preys on deer.

Unusual indeed. So far, we know that squirrels only eat seeds or fruits from trees. But not with this squirrel.

Shocking invention

As explained by Sciencemag in June 2014, some scientists were surprised when they succeeded in photographing the activity of this squirrel herd in Gunung Palung National Park, West Kalimantan.

Animals named scientific Rheithrosciurus macrotis according to scientists are strange animals. In addition to its shape is bigger than squirrels in general, these animals often act to pounce on their prey at night.

Not surprisingly, scientists called him the "Vampire" squirrel.

"This species is really very strange," said Erik Meijaard, conservation scientist at People and Nature Consulting International.

Meijaard and his wife, Rona Dennis, are independent scientists who collect and try to trace the lives of Rheithrosciurus species.

When they discover the activity of this species through active surveillance camera shots through motion sensors, they are shocked. Even so, after the discovery they have not officially published photographs of the findings, and decided to study them further.

 Location of where vampires are found | Daily Mail

Long Tail with All Functions

Their daughter, Emily Mae Meijaard, who is a student at the British International School, Jakarta, participated in analyzing the pictures by measuring the tail and body sizes of various animals they found during the study.

For Rheithrosciurus tails, the composition is 30 percent larger than its body measuring 36 cm. In addition to being the same weight as the body, the vampire's tail is thought to be a navigation sensor and acrobatic counterweight when the squirrel pounces on its prey.

Furthermore Emily said there was no further research related to why this squirrel has so much fur on its tail. But he believes that the longish tail also functions as a camouflage to deceive predators, such as leopards for example.

Emily's prediction makes sense for Melissa Hawkins, a mammal researcher from the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA.

He even stated that when he saw the vampire's tail, the research crew thought it was an animal that was quite large.

"This squirrel makes everything extreme," he said.

Fishing Monitoring Continued

The discovery then led several other scientists to visit the Gunung Palung National Park in 2015.

It was Dr. Heiko Wittmer, a specialist in conservation and restoration ecology and Dr. Andrew Marshall from the University of Michigan who then collaborated to investigate the interactions of this species.

Told in the page Phys.org, in June 2015 they installed 35 surveillance cameras with motion sensors in several points of the national park. Within a month, they then get a picture and be amazed at the movement of this species which is considered quite active.

The photos were then officially published, and were the first photo publications from scientists related to the movement of the vampire squirrel ecosystem in the wilds of Borneo.

From these findings, Dr. Wittmer said his doubts about blood-drinking squirrel species. "I really doubt it, there are no carnivorous squirrels."

Regarding squirrel longish tails, Dr. Wittmer has another analysis. He said if the tail is one means of communication between the herd.

Unfortunately, in their monitoring, there is no visible action of squirrels in preying on deer. Even so, Dr. Wittmer has not dared to argue related to the nickname of blood-sucking squirrels.

 Photos of vampire squirrels captured by surveillance cameras with motion sensors

Local Community Stories

For local people, vampire squirrels also eat grains, although at some time they will perch on branches, waiting for their prey to pass, and then jump to pounce.

The local hunters also say that the method of hunting this squirrel is classified as barbaric and terrible. From one bite, he could tear the deer's neck and make the deer flounder, then die.

Even so, how to hunt the squirrel sounds pretty fantastic. At least according to Roland Kays, zoologist at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.