Amelia the Flying Squirrel makes presidential election prediction

Her name is Amelia, and she’s a southern flying squirrel rescue that’s the pride and joy of WTOP’s Michelle Murillo.

After suffering a neurological injury as a baby that caused her to fall when jumping from tree to tree, Amelia now spends her days being Murillo’s “very spoiled pet” and a Facebook celebrity.

Today is a special day for Amelia as she is putting her prediction skills to the test to make her pick for the 2020 presidential election. With the use of pumpkin seeds, Amelia will predict who — President Donald Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden — will win this year’s election.

Prediction stats: Amelia has built a good track record despite being in the prediction business for a few years. She’s gone 4 of 4 in her Super Bowl picks (including picking the Kansas City Chiefs in this year’s game), and correctly guessed the 2016 presidential election.

Selection methodology: In an attempt to be as fair as possible, the seeds were all from the same bag. They were weighed and measured to find two as close in size and thickness as possible. The two seeds were then placed in a cup.

The first one that poured out, as it was tipped, was given the incumbent’s last name initial “T,” and the second got the “B” for Biden. They were then placed in the front center of the platform in Amelia’s cage, which offered numerous options of approach.

The pumpkin seeds, representing President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, that Amelia chose from in order to make her prediction. (WTOP/Michelle Murillo)

Prediction time: Amelia started from the top of her cage and ran down once the seeds were placed down for her “selection.”

Watch how she worked:

Results: After smelling both candidates, Amelia chose the “T” seed, predicting Trump’s second term.
Amelia the Flying Squirrel enjoys making her predictions during big events. This year, she has chosen President Donald Trump to win a second term. (Michelle Murillo/WTOP)
WTOP’S Michelle Murillo contributed to this story.

José Umaña

José Umaña is a digital editor for WTOP. He’s been working as a journalist for almost a decade, covering local news, education and sports. His work has appeared in The Prince George’s Sentinel, The Montgomery Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel, PressBox and The Diamondback.

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