Is that a Squirrel Under Your Hood or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

Tiny critters have been clawing and chewing their way into cars across the region, some mechanics and car dealers are reporting. Squirrels, rats, mice, even woodchucks have been hanging out under car hoods, keeping warm and foraging for chow, even though wires aren't typically part of varmint diet.

Mechanics find clues about the culprits under the hood. Squirrels leave nuts and branches. Rats might drop gnawed ribs or chicken wings. Sometimes, mechanics find a nest full of babies.

Nests full of babies! Bah!

Anyway, the Sun-Times story identified UIC's Joel Brown as a "squirrel scientist." Hubbawha? Yes! Brown, whose email address is squirrel at uic.edu, is an evolutionary ecologist who studies foraging behavior and runs Project Squirrel. [S-T]