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00:00This is a bird feeder, and everything to my left is my attempt at making it squirrel-proof.
00:05If they want the bird seed, they will first need to pass through what is basically an eight-part Ninja Warrior obstacle course for squirrels.
00:11This course is extremely challenging. It is not for the timid of heart.
00:16But out of the gate, I will admit that in hindsight, that I completely underestimated my adversary.
00:21Now if you're wondering why I would go through all this trouble, we need to go back eight weeks ago when I found myself stuck at home and very bored.
00:28So I installed a bird feeder and decided to become a bird watcher.
00:32And it was just so lovely, until they showed up.
00:37Now luckily my bird feeder had a wire cage around it, big enough for the birds to slip inside, but small enough to prevent the squirrels from getting the food.
00:45And that worked really well, until right here.
00:48For me, this was like the moment in Jurassic Park when they realized the velociraptors can open door handles.
00:54And once the door was open, it was clear this wasn't their first rodeo.
00:57They basically cleared this whole tube of bird seed by the end of the day.
01:01Mind you, this bird feeder was advertised as being squirrel-proof.
01:04So I bought another squirrel-proof bird feeder to replace it.
01:07It's got this outer cage suspended by some springs.
01:10And so if a bird comes and lands here, it doesn't weigh that much and it has access to the seeds.
01:15However, if a squirrel comes, they'll grab onto this cage.
01:18Its weight will force the springs down, thereby preventing access to the seeds.
01:23I have no idea how the squirrels could possibly outsmart this, but let's see.
01:28And this one worked exactly as intended.
01:30You can see the birds love it, but when the squirrel comes along, the cage shifts down and now all the seed ports are covered up.
01:37Every time they tried, it was the same results.
01:39However, the next morning, this guy manages to unclip the springs that hold the cage up,
01:44which means the cage stays in the lowered position where it blocks all the seed openings.
01:48Problem with that is now they can get to the lid.
01:51But this bird feeder lid doesn't hinge open to give direct access.
01:55So he goes with a different tactic.
02:01Where he now has access to all the bird seed he wants.
02:03And so I decided I would try one more bird feeder design.
02:06Okay.
02:07Wow.
02:08It almost feels intentional at this point.
02:11This one's supposed to work well because it's got this baffle,
02:13which is supposed to keep the squirrels from just coming straight down and getting to the seeds.
02:17And more importantly, there's no way for them to rip this off.
02:20We'll see.
02:21This one debuted to similar results.
02:24As he hangs by a few toes, this is when I really started to gain an appreciation for what they were capable of.
02:30It definitely seemed like this bird feeder was their favorite.
02:33Okay.
02:34Yeah, they're flexing on me for sure.
02:36And at this point, a plan was forming in my head.
02:39But just to be thorough, I moved the post away from the fence,
02:41and I can't say I was surprised when they just climbed it.
02:44Nor was I surprised to see they could shimmy up and down a small metal pole,
02:48or even a large one for that matter.
02:50And whether they could climb a certain pole material was a moot point anyways because of this.
02:55Look at this!
02:56These guys are basically freaking rodent-sized Simone Bales.
03:00And on some level, this is what it felt like when someone stole a package from my porch that didn't belong to them.
03:04And I harnessed that indignation, spending a year designing the glitter bomb bait package.
03:09Hello.
03:11Complete with special fragrances.
03:14If I could design a package to deter thieves, could I design a bird feeder to deter squirrels?
03:21And so after a couple weeks of brainstorming, designing, and building with my buddy John,
03:25we put it all together in this 20-second build montage.
03:28Here are the basic elements.
03:46For starters, here's where I've placed their favorite bird feeder.
03:50At the end of the course.
03:51And to sweeten the deal, right below that, there's a trap door.
03:55And if they step here, it releases a butt-ton of walnuts and unfurls some celebratory banners.
04:02Why walnuts? I'm glad you asked.
04:04I'm using walnuts because over the course of a week, I put out a buffet of seven different nuts and seeds.
04:09And all four times I repeated the experiment, walnuts were always the one they ate first.
04:14What's great about placing this here is it levels the playing field, as the birds can fly up and get as much food as they want anytime they need it.
04:22The squirrels, however, will have to work for it, because the only way to make it to this platform is if they work their way through my eight-part Ninja Warrior obstacle course.
04:29Which all starts right here. This is the only platform on the course that has a pole that isn't covered in slippery stuff.
04:36Which means this is where they have to climb up to enter the course.
04:39If they try and get up any other way, they can't keep a good grip, and they just slide back down.
04:43So the first challenge is the bridge of instability.
04:46Now this may look easy, but the trick is it attaches at a single point on each end.
04:51And from a physics standpoint, that makes it no different than trying to crawl across a tightrope.
04:55It's the same deceptive principle with that one carnival game that's so impossible.
04:59I broke it down in another video, where I used physics to show which carnival games were basically scans, and the science on how to beat them.
05:06Next up, the maze of a thousand corridors.
05:08This one's a bit more cerebral, but if they make it through that, it will bring them to the pitchfork tumblers, which are inspired by the show Wipeout.
05:14But unlike Wipeout, I should point out that all these contraptions are squirrel friendly, and even with a little back force, they will break away and stop spinning.
05:23Now if they can make it past the pitchfork tumblers of treachery, they come to one of my personal favorites, the homewrecker.
05:35I put her in to tempt the squirrel to lose focus on the real prize at the end of the course.
05:40Because this pad has a pressure sensor underneath it, and it connects to a microcontroller, that has a relay that connects to a solenoid, that connects to a pneumatic piston, that connects back to this platform with the pressure sensor.
05:49And so if they stand here for more than three seconds, they've got to start the course all over again.
05:56Next up is the Sleeky Bridge of Deception.
05:58I've suspended a juicy walnut right in the middle, but there's no way this bridge will support their weight, so it'll be interesting to see how they approach it.
06:05The sixth challenge is called the Tourist Trap. It's actually a bit of a reward for making it this far.
06:10If the squirrel sticks their head through this board my wife painted, it's just a photo op they can hang on the wall of their tiny squirrel nest.
06:15I'll place a walnut here as an incentive for them not to miss this unique opportunity.
06:19The penultimate challenge are the quad steps of Great Elevation.
06:22This is taken straight from Ninja Warrior, and this is super tricky because these pads are all totally smooth and placed at a 45 degree incline.
06:29And now for the last challenge. At this point, they are a near few feet away from their ultimate goal.
06:34But if they're not careful, they'll have to deal with the orbital assist platform.
06:38AKA the final countdown. AKA it's not a catapult, it's a squirrel-apult.
06:44Which means they now have to go back and start all the way over from the beginning.
06:51Now if they want to avoid that fate, they just need to stand on this pad for less than three seconds.
06:55But once again, I've placed a diversion here.
06:58This one projects an optical illusion of anything you place in the bottom of this dish.
07:01It's actually super trippy and looks even more impressive in real life because the projected image is 3D.
07:06They're like nine bucks on Amazon, and I put a link that explains the juicy physics of how they work in the video description.
07:12Now with regards to squirrel safety, I know I seem to have this reputation of...
07:19Improvised high speed projectiles. And so this one might worry a few animal lovers out there, including my wife.
07:27We have five pets and one child. And the child was the only one I had a say in.
07:31So rest assured, I can adjust the pressure on the piston, and we'll be staying way below any launch force that could hurt any of our adorable backyard contestants.
07:40And so finally, after making it through all that, we're back here at the world's most satisfying bird feeder.
07:45And as far as I'm concerned, if they make it here, they've earned the right to gorge next to the birds for as long as they want.
07:51And so after nearly a month of prep work, the course was officially open for business.
07:58They could smell the walnuts at the final station, and you could see the gears turning because right above that was their favorite bird feeder.
08:06And so before long, we had our first contender.
08:13That didn't exactly go as planned, so Rick decides to regroup. Speaking of which, that's Rick.
08:31There are a total of four competitors that will be attempting the course.
08:35First up is Rick, and he weighs 500 grams.
08:38I know this because he's actually standing on a custom-made scale.
08:41Rick is very clever, as you'll see here in a minute, but he also gets spooked easily.
08:45Next up is Marty. He's basically indistinguishable from Rick.
08:48Rick and Marty are inseparable and pretty much spend all their time together as a pair.
08:52Our third contender is Frank, also coming in around 500 grams.
08:56He's very gutsy. He's also kind of dumb.
08:58Finally, we've got my personal favorite, Fat Gus.
09:02He's just really charming and will strike a pose if he sees a camera.
09:05He also really likes to eat, and he tips the scales at an impressive 800 grams.
09:10While most of the squirrels are kind of particular before making a selection and then gracefully leaping away,
09:15Fat Gus just goes for it. Hands-free. Just makes himself real comfortable.
09:20Here he is, laying out with a light snack from the bird feeder.
09:23I mean, you can't fault the guy for just clearly appreciating a good meal.
09:27So now that you know our four contenders, let's get back to Rick.
09:31So he hops back on, and he's actually doing better than his first attempt.
09:34Just barely.
09:36This is the best because he's like, okay, I got this. Never mind.
09:40Well, maybe I do. No, I definitely don't.
09:42And this was the exact moment I realized I just might be outmatched here.
09:47Marty was watching Rick, and after a quick dip of his toes in the water, adopts his strategy right out of the gate.
09:58Ooh, so close.
10:00But an excellent recovery.
10:02And Fat Gus, perhaps predictably, comes up a little short.
10:05Which brings us to the Maze of a Thousand Corridors.
10:07Which, to be honest, they mastered this one pretty quickly.
10:10Here's a solid run from Fat Gus.
10:16And now for the pitchfork tumblers of treachery.
10:19Marty was like, yeah, that's a hard pass.
10:22Fat Gus is just like, abort!
10:25Frank is just like, nope.
10:27Then he's like, wait a second.
10:29Still nope.
10:30Then Marty flies in real hot over the top.
10:33He didn't make it through, but that's partial credit as far as I'm concerned.
10:35And then here's Fat Gus with my favorite attempt by far.
10:45And then Frank shows no fear, which helps him pull off this near flawless run.
10:48And finally, Smart Rick surgically weaves his way through, essentially untouched.
10:52And I should mention, the squirrels were most active from 6 to 10 a.m.
10:56So every morning I've been getting up before the sunrise to start filming from in my house
11:00like one of those camouflage nature photographers.
11:03Only like a suburbanized version.
11:05I've also had a handful of streaming cameras rolling 24-7,
11:08which has allowed me to make such discoveries as...
11:10We have the world's worst guard dog.
11:12Right.
11:13Thanks for the help, pal.
11:14Now back to the homewrecker.
11:15You can see Rick is instinctively suspicious of this gold digger,
11:18and only for a brief moment puts his full weight on the platform.
11:21I told you he was smart.
11:22His buddy Marty, on the other hand...
11:24She is a cruel mistress.
11:34And because I know my wife is going to ask me, no, this will not hurt the squirrel for two reasons.
11:39Number one, they are amazing like cats and always land on their feet.
11:43And two, they themselves were jumping from this height all the time.
11:47And in some cases, much higher.
11:49In fact, squirrels are one of the few mammals that can survive a fall from any height
11:53because they make their terminal velocity so low.
11:56You can see it right here.
11:57They make their body as flat as possible, then put their tail back to increase drag.
12:01They basically become their own parachute.
12:04And then right before they land, they pull in and fully extend their arms and legs
12:07to act as shock-absorbing landing gear.
12:09This is so cool.
12:11Now back to the course where even smart Rick eventually lets his guard down.
12:15Which is exactly when she strikes.
12:20But just like all the other obstacles so far, after a day or two, they'd mastered it.
12:25In this case, even disregarding her offering of a fresh walnut.
12:30Now onto the Slinky Bridge of Deception.
12:32And this was the sleeper obstacle in my book.
12:34That is not a large gap, which they can easily jump.
12:37But having the Slinky there just threw them off somehow.
12:40You can see how much Frank equivocates here, and he's the brave one.
12:45And Rick only jumps when Marty shows up for emotional support.
12:50But like all the obstacles so far, after a day or two, they'd mastered it.
12:54Now onto our third to last obstacle, the Tourist Trap.
12:57And this one was just a frickin' delight.
12:59A little peanut butter really did the trick here.
13:10Now here comes Fat Gus.
13:14And I mean, how Fat Gus is this?
13:16He sees the camera and he's like,
13:18Paint me like one of your French Squirrels.
13:20Yeah?
13:21No?
13:22No takers?
13:23Alright.
13:24Here's another classic Gus, where he looks at the camera.
13:27Wait a second.
13:28Play that back.
13:29And freeze.
13:31Zoom.
13:32Enhance.
13:33Well, turns out Fat Gus is not a dude.
13:46And he's pregnant.
13:47Which meant I was suddenly feelin' real uncomfortable about all those weight comments.
13:51So after a bit of a pivot to smooth things over, we soldiered on to the quad steps of Great Elevation.
13:57Frank comes in rather confident, almost to his demise.
14:02But he pulls off the smooth recovery.
14:08So after not much time at all, they were looking pretty good here.
14:11In fact, one morning I noticed Marty totally skipped the last step altogether, which I took as a challenge.
14:16And so I removed the middle step to see what they would do.
14:19And who else but fantastic Gus.
14:21Let's slow that down a bit.
14:25They're such amazing jumpers, so I suppose the quick mastery here wasn't a surprise.
14:29I mean, this right here is probably a 10-foot jump.
14:31And here's some classic brave but dumb Frank.
14:34He'd already entered the course normally and made it to the homewrecker at least a dozen times by this point.
14:39And yet for some reason, he decides his 12-foot jump is his best course of action.
14:43Smart Rick was the first one to enter the course, so in the end, after about a week of effort,
14:48it was fitting he was the one to make it to the jackpot first.
14:50And he's so stoked, he apparently wants to run the whole course in reverse.
14:54In hindsight, we probably should have made the jackpot a little quieter.
14:57Here's Marty, as always, not far behind.
15:00He's also a bit flighty, as you know, which worked against him here because down below,
15:10Fantastic Gus, ever the opportunist, comes through with a real stroke of brilliance.
15:14But pretty soon Marty comes back like, um, I'm the one who kind of earned that.
15:19And then Fantastic Gus is like, you snoozy loose sucka.
15:22And might I just say, Fantastic Gus, when you sit like that, you don't look an ounce over 700 grams.
15:27Eventually, they learned that sound was a good thing, and they'd quickly return for their reward before Fantastic Gus got any ideas.
15:33So here's a single camera shot of a full run, and by the end, all of them could do the full course in less than 40 seconds.
15:39And while we're watching, you might be wondering what happened to the squirrel-a-put.
15:42Unfortunately, they didn't really fall for my illusion much, but I'm about to show you the two times they did.
15:48And as a promise to my wife, I turned the pressure to only 40% full power,
15:52so the acceleration the squirrel would feel is about half a G, which is ten times less than a typical roller coaster.
15:57Additionally, I never turned on either the homewrecker trapdoor or the launch platform
16:01when I wasn't actively watching from inside my house where I had a manual override button.
16:06Because as safe as it was, something about launching Fantastic Gus just didn't feel right.
16:10Now what you're about to see is going to look pretty chaotic, but when we check the slow-mo,
16:14Amazingly, I'll show you how the squirrel is totally in control pretty much the whole time.
16:22Alright, now here's a second angle.
16:26Also, even if you don't trust my calculations, I can assure you that the squirrels did not care.
16:31In both launch cases, they were back up on the course in like five minutes.
16:35Here's the slow-mo, and see if you can spot the two critical things he does to make sure he lands feet down.
16:41Did you catch it?
16:44The first critical moment is right here.
16:47He's already done the predictive math, and he's locked his head on the spot where he plans to land.
16:51And now his head will lock on that spot the whole way down.
16:55What's crazy is the time it takes him to do all the predictive math to know exactly where he will land and to lock his head is 300 milliseconds.
17:02That's exactly this long, literally less than the blink of an eye.
17:05That blows my mind, but if you think about it, it makes sense these reactions would have evolved to be razor sharp if you live your life in the trees constantly making split-second decisions.
17:14Now besides picking the landing spot with his head, the second trick is with his arms.
17:18When he wants to keep his upper body from rotating, he has his arms out.
17:21But the moment he wants to rotate his upper body quickly, he tucks them in.
17:24And then when he wants to stop rotating, he extends them out again.
17:28This is straight up conservation of angular momentum.
17:31It's the same trick ice skaters use.
17:33Basically bring your limbs in if you want to rotate fast, extend them out if you want to slow the rotation.
17:38My buddy Destin from Smarter Every Day also made a video analyzing how cats always land on their feet and they do the exact same two tricks.
17:45The head target lock and bringing limbs in to rotate and out to stop rotation.
17:50Here's the second launch.
17:52And this may look like pure luck in real time, but the slow-mo tells a different story.
17:56In that amount of time, he's already made a slight lateral push in that direction and locked his landing target with his head.
18:02We know from the previous clip he can rotate his body to any orientation, but he doesn't in this case because he sees his small push has already aligned him for the perfect landing.
18:11That's just so cool.
18:12And so after those two physics demonstrations, I disabled both the launcher and the homewrecker trapdoor and just let them enjoy the course in peace.
18:19As far as I was concerned, they had earned it.
18:21Plus, after spending a month together, we were sort of bros by this point.
18:24If they saw me coming out to work, they would certainly jump away, but then they'd just quickly be right back.
18:29And sadly, all good things must come to an end, and because I didn't want them to develop an unhealthy dependence on my handouts,
18:34after about a week of free reign, I took down the course.
18:37But in its place, I put up a specialized squirrel-sized picnic table.
18:41Every morning, this door opens to release just a few walnuts as a little treat to remind them of our good times together.
18:46Although I had to laugh that after all this, somehow I didn't anticipate, on day one, Frank would immediately try and figure out and partially succeed in finding a way to beat the system.
18:55Like everything else, though, they quickly caught on, and now on some mornings I'll catch them just waiting for the daily ration, chilling patiently on the bench seat.
19:02That is everyone but Fantastic Gus.
19:05Don't ever change, buddy.
19:07When I started this two month long adventure trying to bird watch, I had no idea I would enjoy squirrel watching so much more.
19:14It's also made me realize that even amongst the structures and pavement and power lines,
19:19how interesting nature can be in a single suburban backyard if you just really stop to look.
19:24Even the plants are amazing.
19:26I had no idea that as vines grow, they spin around looking for something to grab onto.
19:30I didn't anticipate the wide variety of animals that use fences as inner yard highways to get around as a substitute for all the trees that existed before we got here.
19:39Even little interactions like this spider extending his life with this very timely leap into the unknown were just so delightful to see.
19:47But of all the animals, I can definitively say now that squirrels are my absolute favorite,
19:52and they're certainly a more formidable adversary than porch pirates.
19:55They're kind of adorable, incredibly crafty, curious by nature, athletic, and persistent.
20:01Turns out squirrels can live to be 20 years old, and so I like to think that someday Fantastic Gus will bring his grand squirrels to the fence
20:08and regale them with tales of cowboys and courage and legendary walnut piles.
20:47Thanks.
20:49Thanks for sharing, sharing with us, we are thrilled to help with Перman.
20:50Thank you very much.
20:54Let's talk���aceous Fred.
20:55P
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