7 Incredible Squirrel Abilities – Why They Are Formidable Foes

Squirrels are a divisive subject for many. People either love them or hate them with some even celebrating them on January 21^st (National Squirrel Day). Whatever your feelings are about these fluffy tree rats, you must give them credit where credit is due. Squirrel abilities put them in a league of their own. Especially when it comes to trying to outwit or outsmart an annoying squirrel that has set its sights on your home.

Don’t believe us? Below are seven reasons why squirrels are formidable foes.

There Are Some Amazing Squirrel Abilities Which Make Them A Worthy Opponent, Such As:

1. A squirrel’s bushy tail has multiple purposes. It helps them balance, slow their descent, and maintain warmth in the winter.
2. They can rotate their feet 180 degrees and can run at a 90-degree angle.
3. Squirrel teeth are very sharp and constantly growing.
4. They hide their food and pretend to hide the food if other animals are watching.
5. They run in zig zags and circles to disorient their enemies.
6. A squirrel’s peripheral vision is just as good as their focal vision.
7. They communicate with each other through clicks, growls, and screams to warn their fellow squirrels of danger.

Squirrel Ability #1 – Their Tails Are Like Swiss Army Knives

Squirrels have bushy tails that help them to properly balance when walking up high on branches. Additionally, if they do happen to fall, squirrels can use their tails as parachutes to help slow their descent. Did you know that squirrels can survive falls of 100 feet?

When jumping from one branch to another, many squirrels will use their tail as a rudder to further project themselves.

During the colder, winter months, they will use their tails to keep themselves bundled up and warm. They can even use their tail to help communicate their mood to other squirrels.

Squirrel Ability #2 – They Can Run At 90-degree Angles Like Ninjas

Odds are, you’ve seen a squirrel running down a tree. Unlike humans, squirrels can rotate their feet 180 degrees and dig their claws into the tree bark. Between the ability to rotate their feet, and their sharp claws on all four feet, once a squirrel is planted against a tree trunk, they have incredible grip. Some would even say a Bruce Lee-like grip!

Squirrel Ability #3 – Their Teeth Are Sharp And Always Growing

Squirrels are considered pests by many because of their propensity to chew on inedible objects. This includes roof tiles, wires, wood, or whatever else they need to break through to get to what they want.

Their constant gnawing helps them maintain their sharpness. Squirrel teeth never stop growing, so this gnawing also helps to prevent overgrowing. These furry rodents can and will chew through plastic or metal to get to food with ease.

Squirrel Ability #4 –They’re Schemers

Squirrels often hunt their food and then find somewhere to hide it for later. However, sometimes other animals will watch squirrels hide their food and then attempt to snatch it as soon as the squirrel leaves.

Their survival instincts have adapted to this. Therefore, many squirrels will pretend to hide their food when another animal is watching. When the wannabe thieves dig around in the fake spot, squirrels will run away to hide their food elsewhere, laughing maniacally we assume.

Squirrel Ability #5 – Squirrels Are Wily Runners

Have you ever tried chasing a squirrel? Good luck catching them! When running from a predator, a squirrel will run in zig-zag patterns. They also frequently use trees as buffers and will circle around the trunks to disorient their enemies and get away.

Squirrel Ability #6 – You Can Never Sneak Up On Them

Unlike some other wildlife (ahem skunks), squirrels have excellent vision. Their peripheral vision is just as good as their focal vision. This means that squirrels can remain motionless and look out for predators above, below, or to the side of them with ease.

Squirrel Ability #7 – Squirrels Speak In Secret Code

If you’ve spent a prolonged period watching squirrels, you’ve probably noticed that they have a wide vocabulary. Squirrels are very good at communicating with each other. The clicks, growls, and screams of squirrels all have different meanings. Screams are often the call of a pup to its mother. Clicks are usually warnings about approaching predators. Growls are typically mating calls.

Have More Respect For Squirrel Abilities Now? Here Are Some Fun Facts About Them!

1. Did you know that there are 22 different species of squirrels in Canada, and they are found in every province and territory? There is the Douglas squirrel in the west of Canada, the Arctic ground squirrel in Nunavut, and even red squirrels over in Newfoundland.
2. Squirrels come in many different shapes and sizes. The smallest squirrel species in Canada is the chipmunk, which weighs only 50 grams. At the other end are Hoary Marmots, sometimes called “whistle pigs” because of the sound they make when threatened. The Hoary Marmot is found in northwest North America, including British Columbia and Alberta.
3. Squirrels may threaten gardeners, but they help with forest regeneration. Squirrels prepare for the cold winter season by burying nuts and seeds to feed on. Often, some of their stash is forgotten about and left to germinate come springtime.

The Rodent Control Experts At Terminix Canada Can Tackle Your Squirrel Problem

See what you’re up against? If you’ve been losing the battle against sneaky squirrels, don’t feel bad. Squirrel abilities allow them to be very tough competitors, often outsmarting DIY rodent control techniques with ease.

If you need help getting rid of a squirrel infestation in your garden or attic, don’t go at it alone. Terminix Canada offers wildlife control and removal services across the country to help ease your squirrel woes. We even offer emergency wildlife control for your more urgent rodent problems.

For effective pest management and animal control services, call Terminix Canada at 1-888-801-6348 for a free quote or find your local branch below!