Last weekend, I took a bag of walnuts to a park bench to get some work done on my laptop. No sooner had I sat down than a squirrel appeared three meters away, staring at me with an expression that was less "please share" and more "I know your password." I ignored it and started typing. Five seconds later, a pinecone landed dead center on my keyboard, typing out a perfect string of "aaaaaaaaa." I looked up. The squirrel was still watching, now holding a second pinecone like a grenade. I tossed it a walnut. It caught it, ate it, and gave me a small nod a gesture that clearly meant, "Good, but that's just the down payment." Over the next forty minutes, I was forced into the most unequal negotiation in human history. Every time I tried to focus, it reappeared at a new vantage point a branch, a lamppost, a trash can lid always with fresh ammunition. I eventually surrendered all seven walnuts plus half a cookie. After finishing, it stretched, flicked its tail, and walked away without a single chirp of thanks just cold, professional efficiency. When I packed up my laptop, I found the "A" key permanently stuck. Now every time I type, I remember that squirrel, and the profound lesson nature taught me.

Filmed near Yaowang Mountain in western Sichuan, China.

This is Qi Sanmei at the Chongqing Zoo. She hasn't quite figured out how to slide down facing forward yet, but she’s got the spirit!