Squirrel Fun Fact

 Since there is no specific question for this week's blog post, I will discuss an animal fact that I find particularly intriguing. If you were to answer the question, how high do you think a squirrel can fall from and live? 10 feet? 100 feet? 200 feet? Actually, any numerical answer you give will actually be wrong which is what makes this fact so interesting. Squirrels terminal velocity, that is meaning the fastest speed a squirrel is capable of reaching from a free fall, is not fast enough to generate a force strong enough to cause the squirrel's death. While a squirrel might be injured from a 20,000 foot drop, it will still survive. This unique aspect likely arose through adaptions as squirrels are obviously great climbers and spend a significant portion of their time above ground. The explanation for why a squirrel will not perish from a massive free fall stems from both their light weight and anti-aerodynamic build. Squirrels have a large bushy tail and a broad body when outstretched and these aspects combined with their light weight prevent the squirrel from succumbing to gravity's acceleration just enough to allow them to survive any fall!

Comments

  1. LitsaMarch 7, 2021 at 10:46 AM

    This is super interesting! Does it only apply to squirrels or do you think this could also apply to other arboreal animals? I also wonder if it is an adaptation that was selected for or it is just a coincidence that they are small enough to not have a terminal velocity.

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    Replies
    1. Hunter HiegertMarch 8, 2021 at 12:03 PM

      Great question! I actually am not certain as to what other animals this is applicable to but I presume there are various similar species that are likely to fall from great heights as well. I too am quite curious as to if this was due to evolution or if is rather a byproduct of specific evolutionary aspects (such as their bushy tail being utilized for warmth and communication) that together have created this unique ability.

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  2. MichiMarch 8, 2021 at 7:40 AM

    Whaaat!?!?! That is wild! I would suggest to follow this up with an experiment, but that seems hardly ethical...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Benjamin RamseyMarch 9, 2021 at 11:44 AM

    I love this post! I knew that squirrels had a relatively low terminal velocity, but I had no idea that they couldn't die from a fall from any height! It's also really interesting to see how squirrels rotate their tale to orient themselves while falling and keep balance. This is a video I saw a longgg time ago about making a squirrel obstacle course: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZFjoX2cGg

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