Squirrels are such amazing animals and belong to the Sciuridae family. The Sciuridae family includes all types of small and medium-sized rodents. There are different species of Squirrels, such as tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and flying squirrels.
The tail is a very important part of a squirrel’s body that has innumerable purposes. The squirrel usually jumps from one tail to another. And that’s where the tail helps to keep the balance while jumping simply by turning or even resting over a branch.
But, do squirrels tails grow back?
The sad part is that the squirrels tails don’t grow back. Once they are gone, then it’s a forever thing. As they don’t regrow their tails back, it becomes challenging for them to survive without their tails for longer time period.
Tails help squirrels to perform quick maneuvers over tree branches. Moreover, it also keeps them warm while they hunker down inside their dens. The tails also serve as a great tool to communicate.
Do squirrels tails grow back?
As already discussed, the tail is a very important part of a squirrel’s body. However, if they lose their tail once, it’s gone forever, as the squirrel’s tail won’t ever grow back. This fluffy appendage has innumerable uses apart from keeping the balance squirrel.
It also helps immensely to regulate body temperature, to stop if they fall, to communicate with their fellow ones, and even during quarrels. However, it’s a very common feature for the squirrel to lose its tail. But once gone, it doesn’t regrow. The squirrel needs to survive without its tail. And that becomes challenging for them.
Can a squirrel survive with no tail?
The tail is a very important body part of a squirrel but not indispensable to its lifestyle. As discussed above, losing its tail is a common feature; however, life becomes difficult for them.
The fact is that squirrels usually live considerably long roaming in the wild; however, by losing their tail, they are at a high risk of early death.
Therefore their survival comes at stake without the tail. Without the tail, keeping their balance at the tree top would be immensely challenging. Moreover, jumping from one branch to another is also very risky without the tail, and there is a high chance of falling down.
The tail helps slow down the descent if they fall, but that is not possible without it.
So they are more prone to fall without the presence of the tail. The tail plays a pivotal role in scaring off predators; however,, without the tail, it won’t be able to use flagging to scare those predators. Hence they become more of a target without the tail, which questions their survival.
What causes squirrels to lose their tail fur?
It is not uncommon for a squirrel to lose hair on their tail apart from losing their tails. The cause for its loss of hair on the tail is mange and other fungal diseases. Mange is a disease that is caused by microscopic mites from the species known as Sarcoptes scabiei.
These creatures burrow under the squirrel’s skin and feed on their blood which causes hair loss on their tails. These mites come in contact with the squirrels; however, their presence is not seen on other domestic animals and humans.
Therefore, the squirrel infected by mange would display dark and thickened skin and less or no hair on their tails.
Apart from mange, the squirrels also get infected by other fungal diseases that result in hair loss from their tails. The squirrels severely affected by mange or other fungal diseases and losing a considerable amount of hair tend to die because of exposure during severe winter.
However, a healthy adult squirrel usually would recover and survive if there is mild infestation from mange or other fungal diseases.
Do squirrel tails serve any purpose?
The tails of the squirrel are a pivotal part of their body and are very important for their survival. They not only just look great but also have great purposes. The most important use of the tails is balancing at the tree top and keeping their grip while jumping from one branch to another. They also use their tails during mating.
Tails also serve as an important tool for communication and defending their territories. They are also quite useful in scaring off other predators that come to attack the squirrels.
Very seldom, a squirrel swims, and while doing so, the tail becomes a type of rudder that helps keep the direction in water. Even when they scale buildings, the tail helps to balance by keeping the grip.
It also helps them remarkably to take sharp turns. During extreme heat or cold, the tail serves as a shelter for the squirrel. It usually curls around the squirrel’s body like a fuzzy blanket to maintain its body temperature and keep it warm during severe winter.
Tails also protect their body during rainfall and also keep their body dry.
Why do some squirrels lose their tails?
Though tails serve a great purpose, we already know by now that it is common for squirrels to lose their tails or a part of them, and they can survive without them. It is due to the blood circulation in their body, and the bone dries up fast at the base of the tail.
There are several causes for a squirrel to lose their tail: accidents, predators, and diseases. They may lose it by getting a tumble from a tree and falling off while jumping. This causes injury to their tail and also leads to its loss in certain instances. Predators attack squirrels, and there is a high chance of it getting chewed off during the fight.
Squirrels usually come to the roads or locality, and while running, they might get hit by a car which causes the loss of their tail. Another common cause of loss of their tails is mange and other fungal diseases that cause hair loss from their tail and eventually loss it entirely if infected severely.
Also Read: How To Kill Orchard Grass In Your Lawn?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Do squirrels need their tail for balance?
The answer would be a big YES. The tails are extremely important to maintain balance for squirrels jumping from one tree branch to another at the tree top. It also helps to keep the grip by balancing their body when the scale heights.
Does it hurt when a squirrel loses its tail?
Yes, it hurts when a squirrel loses its tail initially. The pain stops when the area dries out and blood circulation normalizes. They usually make a crying noise when any type of injury hurts them.
Do squirrel tails have bones?
Yes, squirrels have a tailbone completely covered with thick fuzzy fur. The thick fur helps in the tail’s movement and prevents the tailbone from breaking during any type of injury.
Conclusion:
Squirrels are one of the most fascinating animals, and their tails are more interesting. With the help of this article, we have learned much information regarding the tails of squirrels.
They have innumerable purposes, but the most important purpose is maintaining balance on the tree top and jumping from one tree branch to another.
They also help to maintain grip while scaling height. Though it’s a common feature for a squirrel to lose its tail, however, it doesn’t ever grow back.
However, a squirrel can survive without the presence of its tail; however life becomes truly challenging for them to survive. Hence it can easily state that a squirrel’s tail is a pivotal part of its body for survival.
