As our population expands and cities grow and spread out into the country, the line between wilderness and civilization becomes thinner and thinner. The relationship between animals and humans becomes more and more strained, and the understanding of animal behavior in the presence of man becomes increasingly important. A great example of a species that has successfully adapted to life with humans is the gray squirrel. My study tried to prove that squirrels learn to live with humans and become comfortable functioning in their presence. It attempted to show that squirrels living in areas of high human traffic are braver in approaching humans than those that live in areas of low human traffic. My hypothesis was that the gray squirrels that come in contact with humans more frequently have adapted to life with people and would more readily approach me than those that have not become accustomed to human interaction. To test this hypothesis, I tested a squirrel’s willingness to approach me at a location of high, medium, and low human traffic. I measured their approach in three levels: ten feet or less, thirty feet or less, and no interest. I then perf

My study will try and prove that squirrels learn to live with humans and become comfortable functioning in their presence. It will attempt to show that squirrels living in areas of high human traffic are braver in approaching humans than those that live in areas of low human traffic. I hypothesize that the gray squirrels that come in contact with humans more frequently have adapted to life with people and will more readily approach me than those which have not become accustomed to human interaction.

The results of my study (see appendix I) were very different in each area. The p values for the high traffic area and the low traffic area showed that they were significantly different than the expected results, while the medium traffic area was not significantly different. The p value for the high traffic area was 0.03, the low area was 0.03 as well, and the medium area was 0.61. In a comparison of the three, the high traffic area was significantly from the expected results because five of the six squirrels came within ten feet of me. The low traffic area was different because none of the six squirrels came within ten feet and five of them showed no interest at all. In the medium traffic area the squirrels were distributed similar to the expected with two coming within ten feet, three within thirty and one showing no interest.

Some topics in this essay:
Garrett Gabel, Bowling Green, Green University, Methods Materials, expected results, human traffic, Luckey Ohio, human contact, low traffic, ten feet, squirrels living, low human, traffic significantly, low human traffic, living human traffic, contact humans, living human, squirrels living human, Squirrels Ecology, Hazard Evan, Horwich Robert, Follmer David, traffic low traffic, traffic willing approach, Smith Christopher,