How many squirrels do you think you could take in a fight to the death?
Was talking about this with my partner while on a hike, they think they couldn't take ni more than 8 While I said I thought i could take at least 30. No weapons, just you and the squirrels.
Do infections count as a loss? If I get an infection from one and die, does that mean I couldn't take them on? Also, is it one at a time or all of them coming at me.
There are details missing in this question that matter tremendously. Squirrels are faster and more agile than us. If they are well coordinated, and behave optimally to win (without concern to their individual survival, only the group's success), I think it would take only a small number of squirrels to brutally murder most people, something like 5. I think their best strategy would be to go for the eyes first, then inflict bleeding injuries and escape again before the person can react. Without tools, and without backup, this approach wouldn't take long to wear down most people.
If the squirrels don't care about their own survival, but make straightforward attacks, I'd think closer to 10-20. The person's injuries will still compound quickly, but once thet have a grip of a squirrel, it wouldn't be especially hard to lethally injure.
If the squirrels still behave like squirrels, and are instead attacking because (for example), they are starving, then the number probably doesn't matter much, as they're more likely to go after each other, and the person would have the opportunity to plan and ambush small groups at a time.
The person's injuries will still compound quickly, but once thet have a grip of a squirrel, it wouldn't be especially hard to lethally injure.
Personally I wouldn't plan on gripping them at all. That's asking for a bite. Unless you plan to just trade hits with them until you win? I'm thinking more of a stomping/kicking/striking strategy to do some crowd control and try to keep them off as much as possible.
I'm mentally well, I just like thinking about hypotheticals. I have no plans (nor any desire) to fight any number of squirrels to the death, and I do not condone doing so as entertainment or sport.
Everyone who thinks they could take a huge number of squirrels should consider what the jaws of a squirrel look like, how they were made for cracking open hard nuts, and what they could do to you if even one had it in its head to really hurt you:
I don’t think I could take more than a couple at a time, even if they weren’t coordinated in any way.
Probably less than I'd like to think. I'm afraid by the time I made the mental switch from "wow there sure are a bunch of these squirrels" to "if I'm going to survive this I'm going to have to stomp all these murderous little fuckers" it will have already been too late
I would use my human strengths and lure them out in waves by speed walking/jogging into middle of fields or similar open areas. regardless I would get them away from trees or other things they could use to jump down onto me. once I level their attacks to the ground, there I would kick and stomp my way to an endurant victory as they'd surely use some energy to escape where hopeful other predators are there to claim there symbiotic prize.
This strategy would likely work against 10-20 at a time. a few waves of them before I am cut down. guessing / hoping for 100 but probably only make it to 50.
if I really got into a squirrel stomping rhythm I bet I could get triple digits.
ok I've now given too much thought to this today.
edit: now I'm picturing listening to slayer's war ensemble and just thrashing squirrels around like a mosh pit of guts and chaos.
If they're all ganging up at once, coming from all directions, I feel like it wouldn't take that many to nip you in the nasties and go for the jugular.
Assuming there's some kinda animal instinct where they know to go for vulnerabilities (some animals know to aim for hamstrings and necks right?) I'm not sure I could handle 10 unarmed and in regular clothes
While I'm pretty good with animals, I think I could only convince maybe two of them to come with me in a fight to the death. But I think that'd be enough of a surprise against the other guy.
Zero. I call my husband the squirrel whisperer. He makes a sound that draws the squirrels to him. If we're in a park and he sits down, i have to walk away - within a few minutes a dozen squirrels will start creeping him and it's terrifying!
In a fight to death, my only problem would be that I get tired from the fighting, sooner or later. And then they could do some real harm.
On the other hand, I assume that they are not smart enough to apply any special tactics that make use of this, or of their large number (coordinated action etc.)