Squirrels are obviously known to have big bushy tails, and it’s obviously easy to see why they’re hard to miss! This has us wondering, are squirrel tails purely ornamental or do they have some purpose?
And if they were to lose their tail, does a squirrel’s tail grow back?
The answer is no, a squirrel’s tail will not grow back, and unfortunately, this can be deadly for a squirrel. Squirrels depend on their tails to navigate, to provide protection from the elements, to regulate body temperature, and to break falls.
None of this would apply if a squirrel were to lose its tail.
Why Do Squirrels Need Tails
One of the coolest features of a squirrel is its tail. There are lots of different types, sizes, and colors, and this appendage provided squirrel with a tool to help them survive in the world.
For Warmth
Squirrels will use their tail in order to maintain their body temperature. On hot summer days, a squirrel will use their tail as a shade to keep them cooler. On cold days they will wrap their tail around them to keep them warm just like a blanket.
Squirrels can even direct the blood flow to their tails so they can regulate the heat of their body, sorta like we sweat.
When a squirrel gets warm, it will have more blood flowing to their tail so the heat gets dissipated but the minute they want to maintain warmth, they reduced the blood flowing to the tail.
For Balance
Squirrels also use their tails for balance. Not just for when they are tree-top trekking but they even use it when they fall!
Squirrels have very sensitive tails, so it can feel the smallest of movements. This sensitivity allows them to understand the position of their bodies in the air even while falling.
When a squirrel falls, they spread out their body and use their tail like a parachute to slow their fall as much as possible.
Just before they land, they pull their legs under them and land just like a cat!
For Communication
Squirrels communicate with each other using their tails too! Squirrels will shake their tails side to side to show dominance. Dogs show dominance by lifting their leg.
Squirrels in a group will flick their tail one-time in a specific direction so their peers know they are welcoming or warning them.
The more times a squirrel flicks its tails the more frustrated they are.
Using a Tail as a Parachute
We barely touched on how a squirrel will deploy its tail like a parachute to survive high falls, but let’s dive a little deeper to understand how important their tails are in reality.
It goes into extremely deep and specific detail about how squirrels can survive falls and how they are able to rotate their bodies in mid-air.
The video explains it while launching squirrels through an obstacle course, and I can’t really compete with that kind of imagination.
Squirrels, by nature, are very tiny little creatures, they are very light, and they have extra skin under their legs and arms. When a squirrel jumps, the combination of their bushy tail, and their bodies act as parachutes where they can slow the rate of their fall.
Now they are falling at a slower rate than the average creature, and they can control their body, while they line themselves up to land on their feet.
Much like a cat, their surface area in relation to their weight is much bigger, which is why they don’t hurt themselves when they land.
Do squirrels’ tails grow back if they fall off?
Squirrels cannot regrow their tails. The ability to regrow body parts is reserved to reptiles, bugs, and fish and a squirrel is none of these things.
Squirrels are fortunate or unfortunate in that the skin and fur of a squirrel’s tail is structured so if a squirrel loses it’s tail – it only comes off at the skin, as opposed to everything, including the bone and cartilage.
Skin and fur will regrow if the squirrel’s tail is cleaned and or properly treated, whereas, bone and cartilage will not.
Can a Squirrel Survive Without a Tail
If a squirrel loses its tail, it may survive, but it won’t be the same squirrel.
Squirrels are rodents (like rats and mice) that spend most of their lives in trees, moving by leaping from branch to branch or running up and down tress trunks.
Squirrels use their tails for warmth when it’s cold, for balance when they climb trees, and the tail is used for communication to warn other squirrels about danger or to show other squirrels they are dominant in the area.
If the squirrel is foraging and most frequently using its tail between foraging sessions, then it is vulnerable to predation because of the potential perception of easy prey or being injured when it fell when escaping a predator that it didn’t notice when escaping.
The squirrel may survive only if is lucky enough to escape predation, but it will not be the same squirrel in terms of physical ability. Without the tail the squirrel will have less ability to climb trees for safety or escape encounters with other potential predators.
Although squirrels can survive without their tail, they will not be the same squirrel, because they won’t possess the same agility or ability to flee from danger.
What Would Cause a Squirrels’ Tail To Fall Off?
A squirrel losing its tail is pretty uncommon, but there are a few easy ways for a squirrel’s tail to fall off.
Injury or Trauma
Squirrels lose their tails from injuries or trauma over circumstances of squirrels getting hit by cars, caught in traps, and attacked by dogs and cats.
Disease
Squirrels can lose their tails from diseases too! The squirrel might suffer from a disease that can restrict blood flow to its tail and causes the tail to completely erode and separate from the squirrel’s body.
There are a couple of diseases that can cause a squirrel to lose its tail, including squirrel pox and squirrel distemper.
Poor Nutrition
A squirrel could also lose its tail due to poor nutrition. If a squirrel is malnourished, the tail bones become softer, and the tail can simply drop off.
If a squirrel loses its tail in this way, it is likely that it had some long-lasting illness or injury, which eventually healed, but resulted in the loss of tail due to malnutrition while the squirrel was sick.
Fear
There is another reason why squirrels lose their tails, due to fear of predators (like cats). A squirrel runs away and its tail gets stuck in a branch, then it rips off the squirrel’s tail.
Developmental Issues
Developmental issues happen when squirrels are still in the womb of their mother. In some cases, the tails simply do not develop properly and fall off at birth or shortly thereafter.
Even once squirrels with developmental issues grow, the tails will not ever be as long as those that are without developmental issues.
What To Do If You Find a Squirrel Without a Tail
If you ever find a squirrel that has no tail avoid calling it a “squirrel with part of its tail amputated” or “a squirrel that has had its tail amputated completely.
Because without the tail they will not survive in the wild, as it cannot regulate body temperatures without its tail, squirrel’s need their tails to – get away from wild animals that can kill them.
So if you find a squirrel that is still alive but can not move around or function normally, advise to take it to an Animal Shelter that has a vet that can tend to its injury.
The vet will close the wound and sterilize the open area, so the squirrel can recover without any attack of infectious substance into its body.
The next step is he or she (the vet) will need the squirrel to keep at that establishment, as it cannot be released back into the wild. At the establishment or squirrel sanctuary, the squirrel will be able to lead its most normal life without any threat danger.
It will have lots of trees to climb, things climb on, lots of food if it is hungry, and lots of fun and play with other squirrels.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, a squirrel’s tail is a pretty big deal and can be very dangerous to lose!
If you ever see a squirrel in your backyard or local park without its tail, please contact your closest animal shelter.
They will be very willing to give the squirrel the proper care it needs and take it to a sanctuary where it can live out the rest of its life.