"The zig-zag run does seem to function as a way to throw off hawks swooping in for a meal," McRae explains. When a predatory bird flies overhead, squirrels do the ol’ this-a-way, that-a-way to ...

They're also clever - the NWF said squirrels use a zig-zag running pattern to escape predators and have been known to pretend to bury nuts to throw off potential thieves.

Squirrels don't always find all the nuts and seeds they bury underground, which can result in new tree growth. Squirrels run in a zig-zag pattern to escape predators.