Meet the Kung Fu Squirrels
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
They're mean, moody and know how to fight. Each other, mainly.
With moves straight out of a martial arts movie, they don't hold back when it comes to beating up their mates.
And, being more Squirrel Nutjob then Squirrel Nutkin, they're a family whom Beatrix Potter would have steered well clear of.
The creatures were pictured by British photographer David Slater in Etosha National Park, Namibia.
He describes the vegetarian beasts – Cape Ground squirrels – as 'adorable' despite their behaviour.
'They're very inquisitive animals and I soon discovered that, if I put the camera on the floor, they couldn't resist an inspection,' said Mr Slater, of Coleford, Gloucestershire.
'Such close encounters with wildlife are what I really enjoy.
'I've often watched them from the car when in a game park and discovered a small family that had residence in a distant corner of a campsite.'
Unlike their British cousins, these squirrels are poor climbers and so live on or under the ground.
And, when not attacking one another, they like nothing better than using their tails as sun umbrellas or sunbathing with legs outstretched.
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