To survive the area's harsh winters, the tiny mammals hibernate between eight and nine months of the year.
But data showed the squirrels were waking up from their winter nap later and later every year. The average date of emergence was fully 10 days later in 2011 than in 1992.
The question was why?
Previous studies suggest that hibernating animals wake up when the weather gets warmer and the snow disappears. Temperature records in the area show that average temperatures haven't changed much over the last two decades, so Lane looked at snowfall data.
Sure enough, late-season dumps of snow have become more common.
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