Former NASA Engineer Builds The Perfect Squirrel-Proof Bird Feeder And Watches Them Battle For The Treats
Mark Rober is no rookie when it comes to viral tech-savvy experiments. The former NASA engineer has made a name for himself as a YouTuber and a mastermind of entertaining and intricate projects. From turning sand into liquid soap and using glow powder to show how fast germs can spread, to testing if sharks can smell blood and building a glitter bomb, it’s fair to say the sky is the limit for this guy.
And this time, Mark is back as a problem solver. You see, every time he would put up a bird feeder in his backyard, the squirrels would come and throw themselves a feast. But Mark is a tough nut to crack and he built an epic obstacle course for them to sweat on. “If they walk through my 8-part ninja warrior obstacle course,” they are free to gorge on the walnuts right next to the birds.
So let’s see what these 22 minutes of squirrel parkour driven by a sheer craving for nuts look like. If you still think it’s a little niche for your liking, just keep in mind it’s the #26 trending Youtube video at the moment with almost 10M views since it went live two days ago.
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This video documenting Mark’s epic ninja obstacle course designed for squirrels is going viral
Image credits: Mark Rober
Mark explains what squirrels have to go through to get their walnuts
Before becoming a full-blown YouTube star, Mark worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory for about 9 years, seven of which he spent working on the Curiosity rover, which is now on Mars. He also started a company called Digital Dudz as a side project, which he later sold to the costume company Morphsuits.
According to the FAQ section, recently, he was presented with “an opportunity to return to my engineering roots to come do some ideation type of work for a tech company near San Francisco.” His YouTube channel has a whopping 1.27B total views and 11.7M subscribers.
And here’s how the hungry little ninjas coped with Mark’s challenge
Bored Panda contacted Amanda N. Robin, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California and co-creator at the Squirrel Gazer to find out what an expert has to say on Mark Rober’s ninja squirrel obstacle course. “It’s an awesome demonstration of what amazing acrobats and persistent problem-solvers arboreal squirrels are,” said Amanda. “His obstacles only begin to touch the surface of just how agile and intelligent these iconic backyard visitors really are.”
It turns out, one of the things that make squirrels such a successful species is their ability to flexibly solve novel problems. “In order to survive, squirrels still have to manage their squirrel business such as storing food for the winter, building nests, and taking care of young while also dealing with humans and our cars, buildings, and pet dogs,” explained Amanda.
Thus, squirrels have adopted a strategy to use these special talents and utilize humans, “as demonstrated by the squirrels breaking into Mark’s bird feeders and the notorious college campus squirrels that steal food right from the hands of students.”
After the championship was over, Mark built the squirrels a custom feeder to feast in peace
First thought - I don't have 21 minutes to watch squirrels. Immediately after starting the video - I wish this was an hour
Thank you, I thought the same but reading your comment I gave it a try, and now I'd watch it for 21 hours!
Load More Replies...Mark is amazingly creative. I loved how he gave all the squirrels names, and their strengths. Totally worth the watch
You have definitely been using your isolating time much better than I have
I like Mark's approach to his 'squirrel problem'... think it was more of a challenge for him to alleviate boredom. I like squirrels and would not mind them taking advantage of a birdfeeder in my yard... they're entertaining. Alas there are hardly any squirrels where I live.
I thought the same until ground squirrels, which are different, started burrowing into my foundation. Free food for mice and critters.
Load More Replies...mark rober's videos are amazing. i love how he creates something new every time!
I started out feeding birds and providing them a bird bath. Loved watching all the different birds coming through. Had no idea I'd also be attraction deer, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and foxes. But I have to say as much as I love bird watching I have fallen in love with my squirrels. I don't understand why people spend so much time and energy trying to deny squirrels food. I put seed our for the birds (with 2 types of baffles that the squirrels can't figure out) and peanuts for the squirrels, everyone seems happy with this arrangement. Fun video!
I actually watched the whole thing and was thinking the whole time "this guy actually loves squirrels". I love them too so thank you for making sure they didn't get hurt. Please tell your wife the cowboy picture was great :^)
I saw the video. It’s so awesome. I hope Phat Whatever her name was had her baby!!!
To Hell with the birds and their "Bird Feeder"! Get rid of all that c**p and fill a bowl full of nuts and call it a "Squirrel Feeder". Look after your fellow mammals, you bird-loving traitor!
I watched this video a couple of days ago on Facebook and shared it. At the time I didn't know his background, but it's kind of understandable now. The intricacies of the whole system was incredibly fascinating and I had no idea tree rats were so smart. I still can't stand the things, but I have much more respect for them. I love how he build a picnic table feeder for them and they patiently--well most of them--wait on the benches for their nuts to be delivered to their table.
My hat's off to you, Mark. This whole concept is fantastic and so entertaining.
Squirrels are amazing. You should check out Seymour_the_squirrel on YouTube and Instagram.
First thought - I don't have 21 minutes to watch squirrels. Immediately after starting the video - I wish this was an hour
Thank you, I thought the same but reading your comment I gave it a try, and now I'd watch it for 21 hours!
Load More Replies...Mark is amazingly creative. I loved how he gave all the squirrels names, and their strengths. Totally worth the watch
You have definitely been using your isolating time much better than I have
I like Mark's approach to his 'squirrel problem'... think it was more of a challenge for him to alleviate boredom. I like squirrels and would not mind them taking advantage of a birdfeeder in my yard... they're entertaining. Alas there are hardly any squirrels where I live.
I thought the same until ground squirrels, which are different, started burrowing into my foundation. Free food for mice and critters.
Load More Replies...mark rober's videos are amazing. i love how he creates something new every time!
I started out feeding birds and providing them a bird bath. Loved watching all the different birds coming through. Had no idea I'd also be attraction deer, chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits and foxes. But I have to say as much as I love bird watching I have fallen in love with my squirrels. I don't understand why people spend so much time and energy trying to deny squirrels food. I put seed our for the birds (with 2 types of baffles that the squirrels can't figure out) and peanuts for the squirrels, everyone seems happy with this arrangement. Fun video!
I actually watched the whole thing and was thinking the whole time "this guy actually loves squirrels". I love them too so thank you for making sure they didn't get hurt. Please tell your wife the cowboy picture was great :^)
I saw the video. It’s so awesome. I hope Phat Whatever her name was had her baby!!!
To Hell with the birds and their "Bird Feeder"! Get rid of all that c**p and fill a bowl full of nuts and call it a "Squirrel Feeder". Look after your fellow mammals, you bird-loving traitor!
I watched this video a couple of days ago on Facebook and shared it. At the time I didn't know his background, but it's kind of understandable now. The intricacies of the whole system was incredibly fascinating and I had no idea tree rats were so smart. I still can't stand the things, but I have much more respect for them. I love how he build a picnic table feeder for them and they patiently--well most of them--wait on the benches for their nuts to be delivered to their table.
My hat's off to you, Mark. This whole concept is fantastic and so entertaining.
Squirrels are amazing. You should check out Seymour_the_squirrel on YouTube and Instagram.
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