In June 2024, Jennifer E. Smith of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire received a disturbing report from her research team conducting fieldwork at Briones Regional Park in Contra Costa County. It’s a sprawling expanse of grasslands and oak woodlands known for scenic trails, views of Mount Diablo and a thriving bird-watching scene. However, Smith’s students had documented something far more unsettling than a rare bird or damage on a trail: an unsettling description of a California ground squirrel actively hunting, killing and ripping apart the bodies of tiny California voles.

“At first, we questioned what was going on,” Smith says. “But seeing the videos was astounding and shifted my perspective on a species that I have spent the last 12 years of my life studying.”

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https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/squirrels-predators-bay-area-park-19988436.php