squirrels have bushy tails. how does this help it survive?

Question

ideal answers please

Answer 1

Like a tightrope walker holding onto a long pole for balance, the squirrel uses its tail to keep itself steady as it leaps across treetops or does a high-wire act on telephone lines. It also uses this appendage to communicate with other squirrels; when a squirrel is alarmed, it flicks its tail; when it's feeling aggressive, it fluffs it up. During its breeding season, a squirrel will wave and shiver its tail while approaching the opposite sex. The tail also keeps it warm in Winter - it'll wrap its tail around itself like a built-in blanket, and cool during the summer, by using it as a sunshade to help protect it from the sun's burning rays.

Answer 2

Bushy tails to squirrels have several advantages.

1, They are used to balance when jumping from branch to branch.
2, The tail is used to signal other squirrels that there is a danger . Like the approach of a cat.
3, The bushy tail makes the squirrel look much larger than what it actually is.
4, The tail acts as a decoy when the squirrel is fleeing from a predator.
5, And when the squirrel curls up in a little ball to rest, it makes a warm blanket.
6, It adds to a squirrels cuteness ! Everyone likes cute! A rat , with a skinny , naked tail is not cute ! So even though both squirrels and rats eat and live the same way. Rats get hammered and squirrels are pampered.

Answer 3

Insulation is a correct answer as some other people have mentioned but the main survival advantage to is as an aerofoil. The fact that it is bushy and has a lot of surface area, offers a sort of break and means that the squirrel can use it in mid-leap to alter its trajectory and balance itself while racing from branch to branch.

I think they discussed the feature in one episode of a David Attenborough documentary, I believe one of the Life of Mammals episodes. Regards

Answer 4

Squirrels have bushy tails so when they brake into your house to steal your credit cards and they hear somebody coming,they can wrap it round themselves and pretend to be a brush

Answer 5

Squirrel tail is prehensile which helps in balancing the body.

Answer 6

Like foxes and other animals with bushy tails, they wrap it over their stomach and noses to protect and warm themselves when they sleep in the cold.

Answer 7

Ive seen them with their tails wraped round their heads - insulation?

Answer 8

they use tails for balance and a way to communicate

Answer 9

I believe it gives them the balance they need when launching themselves from tree to tree

Answer 10

I have no idea but they swim on their backs to keep their nuts dry