Mark Rober is a former NASA engineer who has a popular YouTube channel on which he posts videos about all sorts of fun scientific projects. The most recent one saw him put his talents and skills against a group of bird food-stealing squirrels.
A while ago, Rober decided to try birdwatching and installed a bird feeder in his backyards. All went great until squirrels discovered this easy source of food and started raiding it. He tested several other feeders with protection against these little nut-loving animals, but they managed to crack them all.
Seeing that squirrels can outsmart every bird feeder on the market, Rober came up with the idea to test their capability in a different kind of way. He built a Ninja Warrior-styled obstacle course to see whether they can rise to this challenge.
Rober installed eight obstacles, ranging from ladder bridges and mazes to pitchfork tumblers and jumping platforms. At the end of the course, he placed a “prize,” which consisted of a box full of walnuts.
At first, the squirrels managed to advance only two or three obstacles before giving up. But, they continued to return each day, adapting their strategy and becoming more successful.
Watch the video below to find out whether squirrels managed to get to the end of the course, or NASA ingenuity got the best of them.
