What do squirrels do with their tails?

Squirrels have tails of an approximate length of 19-25 cm. So the tail of a squirrel is almost as big as the squirrel itself. Their tails are bushy and also kind of fluffy. As we all know, squirrels are often see on high trees or telephone wires. They are very skillful in doing this kind of climbing, and they are also very fast. But the reason why squirrels are so good in doing that is exactly because they have such big and also flexible tails. Like a person who walks on a tight rope and uses a pole for balance, squirrels in the same way use their tails to establish their balance while they are running and jumping from trees to trees.

Also, squirrels use their tails to communicate between each other. So they use their tails to send signals to other squirrels. They do so by making characteristic moves with their tails. When one squirrel is alarmed or when they spot some form of danger, they flick their tails and wave to other squirrels. When squirrels are aggressive, their tails become even fluffier. And also squirrels use their tails to warm up themselves. Their tails are sufficiently big enough for them to wrap it around themselves and use it as a blanket. So it is very useful during the wintertime. And during the summertime, when it is too hot, squirrels also use their tails to block the sunlight. So their tail is like a sunshade, and with the use of their tail, they protect themselves from the sun’s burning rays. As we can see, squirrels are very handy with the use of their tail.

So squirrels use their tails for different purposes, for climbing and balancing, for communication and signaling, and for cooling and warming themselves.

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