Squirreling away fitness tips

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Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fittest of them all? Squirrels that had lots of sunshine and nuts when they were growing up, say researchers at Michigan State University, as well as investigators in Canada and France.

Ferreting through 15 years of data on the North American red squirrel population, the researchers concluded that female squirrels lucky enough to be born in the lap of luxury, with plenty of food, warm weather and ample space, produced more offspring than their less-privileged cohorts. In short, they were fitter and healthier.

‘Our study shows that some individuals get a real head start on their colleagues simply by being born in a good year,’ says Stan Boutin, co-author of the study and professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, Canada.

‘On the other hand,’ he says in a news release, ‘those having the bad luck of being born in a bad year may never get a taste of that silver spoon.’

Lessons learned: Move to Arizona and eat plenty of nuts.

— Janet Cromley