Thanks for your squirrely question Viviane. My tail is like a Swiss Army knife, useful in almost any situation. During a cold 🥶 and snowy day, it is a warm and toasty blanket. When it rains, I keep dry with a built-in 🌂umbrella. And when the summer heat and sun ☀️ arrive to warm up the day, I have the perfect sunshade to keep me 😎 cool.
4 Reasons to Always Bring Your Tail with You!
Ground Predators
I'm thankful my tail is always there during an emergency. When I feel threatened by ground predators such as cats or dogs, I twitch and fluff up my tail while making loud noises. In squirrel talk, I am yelling, "a cat or dog is coming. Run for the trees!" I'll face my body towards the danger so my friends can hear, see, and locate the dangerous threat.
Flying Predators
Flying predators like hawks or owls pose a more considerable danger than ground predators because they can catch me while I'm not on the ground. You won't hear or see me when a flying demon is around because I don't want to give away my location.
California Groomin’
I squirrel my days away in Kitty City, which is near Los Angeles, as you may know. And even me, Bart Man, must look his best to impress the ladies in La La Land. During mating season, my tail also helps me attract the eye of my lady love by shivering in a waving motion.
Protecting Territory
Red squirrels twitch their tail to tell others competing for the same territory to back off. However, the Fox and Eastern Gray squirrels aren't as territorial as the Reds and usually don't behave this way.
It’s a Wrap!
I bet you noticed that my big-bushy tail adds to my cuteness factor, but it also performs many essential jobs. So far, I've revealed that I use it to communicate and protect myself from the weather. In next month's issue, we'll discuss how my tail for acrobatics is possible, plus serve double duty as a parachute!
Would you like Bart to answer your burning question in a future issue? Or have a suggestion on how we can improve the Squirrel Tails Magazine. Please message us on our contact
page.
