Squirrels can exhibit very interesting behaviours. They are mainly active during the day and they usually spend their day’s creating nests in trees using materials like bark, twigs and other materials. These small rodents may also spend their days communicating with each other by grunting, chirping, barking and squeaking. If squirrels suddenly stop grunting, chirping, barking and squeaking with each other to stare at you, you may be wondering why. This article explores the question of ‘what does it mean when a squirrel stares at you’ 

Squirrels stare at humans for a variety of reasons, they cannot express themselves through talking so they express themselves through sounds, movements and actions, one such action is staring. A squirrel may stare at you because it’s curious about you, to figure out if you’re a threat, if it thinks you’re a predator, or, it may not be staring at you at all, the animal may simply be in a trance. 

What does it mean when a squirrel stares at you?

Because squirrels cannot talk to other squirrels, or to humans for that matter, they need to express themselves through actions. A squirrel staring at you can mean one of many things, including: 

It’s looking to be fed: Because squirrels living in urban areas are sometimes fed by humans, these animals may start expecting food from humans. This can lead to them being quite dependent on food offered by us. If this is the case, a squirrel may stare at you expectant of food, just as a dog would

Nap/zen state: You may think that a squirrel is staring at you but this may not be the case at all. The squirrel may simply be in a trance like state. If the squirrel is looking ahead, is motionless, is not blinking its eyes, and is not reacting (even if you wave your hand in front of it) then the squirrel may simply be in a sort of trance. You can usually get it to wake up by stroking its fur. 

To figure out if you’re a threat: Humans stop and become hyper-aware of their surroundings when in unfamiliar territory and when we are around intimidating looking people. Squirrels will do something similar when they get around humans. If they are not familiar with you they will stop and stare at you trying to figure out what you are and if you’re a threat. Once the squirrel gets used to you, it will leave you alone and go on with its business. 

It thinks you’re a predator: Animals such as raccoons, coyotes, weasels and birds of prey aren’t the only animals that prey on squirrels, humans do too. These rodents are very low on the food chain and thus, many animals eat them. Squirrels know that they are prey animals and may stare at you thinking you’re a predator. 

They are curious animals: Squirrels may not always see you as a threat, they may simply be curious about what you are. Not all squirrels have been able to interact with humans. If you start making gentle noises at them the animals may come a little closer and continue to stare to investigate.

What happens if you stare at a squirrel?

Just as with humans, facial recognition is built into animals like squirrels. Thus these animals will likely know if you’re looking at them or staring at them.  If the squirrel is used to being around humans, as a result of being in human environments and interacting with us, it will likely respond. Then again, because direct eye contact is seen as a way to establish dominance, the squirrel may feel uncomfortable when you do this and may try to flee. Humans are much larger than squirrels, these tiny animals may feel uncomfortable if stared at. 

Conclusion: 

In conclusion, squirrels may stare at you for a variety of reasons. They may stare at you because they are curious as to what you are, because they are trying to assess whether you’re a threat, they may be looking at you in search of food, and they may not be looking at you at all, they may simply be napping or in a trance. If you were to stare at the animal it may become uncomfortable if it isn’t familiar with humans or it may react well to you if it has been socialized to play well with humans 

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other squirrel related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Do squirrels get attached to humans?, Do squirrels blink?, Overly friendly squirrels, are they safe?, Do squirrels sleep with their eyes open?