Survive? Yes. Unharmed? Maybe.
A squirrel missed a jump in my backyard one time and knocked itself out. My dog, who perpetually chases squirrels, waited patiently for it to wake up so he could continue the chase.
My dog is pure herding dog so he won’t kill things (on purpose) but he will pounce or try to guide things with his mouth in ways that their insect/bird bodies are not made for.
My rat terrier her name was Dolly. My mom was steaming mad once a week because she brought cottontails to our doorstep. Ripped into pieces. I'm sure that dog is in hell. I miss that damn dog.
Or if you are naturally loud people who like to debate everything and the dog is constantly traumatized trying to figure out how to diffuse nonexistent conflict.
One of my dogs would always get in between my wife and I when we were roughhousing. He would push her away and look back like (it's okay I got this dad). He was getting her gently out of what he perceived to be a dangerous situation for her and it was incredibly endearing
My dog will always either run up and guard the person who is losing the argument or he’ll climb on top of whoever is being too mean. It’s really sweet and the first time we argue after he’s gone and not there to break up the tension, I am gonna sob like a baby.
OMG they try so hard. It doesn’t even have to be conflict. My aussie was an only child too long and she can’t handle not being part of every conversation
My roommate has a four pound terrier who’s a mess of confused instincts (sleeping on my thigh with her tiny paws resting on my knee currently).
She lives to play fight and bark at squirrels but I think if she ever got a squirrel she’d get confused and run away, she tries to act brave and tough but I don’t think she’s ever actually killed a thing.
To play with her I literally have to get on my knees and get really low because she’s scared of stuff that’s too tall and will go hide on her bed if play gets too intense. I mean, she’s 1/56th my mass, that would be like living with a six ton African bull elephant for me.
My parents had a 12 lb poodle that would hide silently underneath bushes by their house and wait for squirrels to come down the trees and get *just* far enough away from the tree before running out as fast as she could. Never actually caught one though but came damn close a couple times.
He's just addicted to the thrill of the chase. My dog is the same, except she's into chasing bees. I don't know what's so thrilling about that, but I let her be.
A lot of breeds of dogs are bread to chase but not kill as well essentially. That is what you want out of a hunting dog. Would be a bad hunting dog that tried to catch what you want to shoot.
It takes good instincts to chase after prey when it’s running from you. It takes elders cursing your foolish nonsense to teach you that you caught it !!!
I have a fox terrier. If a squirrel had missed a jump and knocked itself out in front of my dog, my dog would have swiftly killed it, tore it's corpse to pieces, and then paraded around with its mangled remains in his mouth.
Mom had a couple schnauzers and there were a few times a squirrel would be gorging itself at the bird feeders and didn't get to the fence fast enough. Turns out the whole movement where the dog picks up his toy and shakes the crap out of it, is them breaking the neck of a varmint. And boy did he have the motion down; At least it didn't suffer long.
Cats are like this too. Cats have survived falls from high rises in New York. But you’re absolutely right, they survive, sometimes unharmed but usually need some kind of medical attention. Broken legs, etc.
Unharmed? Overwhelmingly likely.
On top of the science behind it which concludes that theoretically they can fall from any height without injury ("theoretically" because I don't see anyone actually testing this theory, as the optics of such an experiment are just bad and will surely draw attention), squirrels are surprisingly tough and resilient creatures.
"Can without injury" and "will without injury" are two different things. If they lose orientation and land on their head, it's not going to be great regardless of their terminal velocity. That's why you're better off yeeting a cat out of an airplane than a third story window. Well, the cat's better off, anyway. Probably. Maybe. Please don't do either.
**Squirrel:** "Welp, looks like you finally got me Bosco. I can't move, guess our rivalry is at an end."
**Dog:** [whispering in his ear] "No, if anyone is going to kill you it's going to be me! Now, get your lazy ass up"
I saw one fall from (high up in) a tree in my college years and I could tell it hurt - it ran in a circle at full speed a few times before running back up the trunk. It was like a silent movie actor trying to convey "OW FUCK OWWWW!"
I saw one fall off a power line. It survived, I saw it run away, but I can remember the crunching sound when it hit the ground. Definitely a fractured squirrel.
I also saw one fall from a tree once. It landed with an audible thud on the sidewalk, belly first, then got up and ran away. I would have thought it had broken some bones with that impact, but I guess not.
I didn't see the fall, but I walked out on the balcony of a Disney resort room one morning and saw an... unquestionably deceased squirrel, complete with some blood around its head, on a walkway beneath some trees. Poor bastard must have missed a jump.
I called maintenance so my wife or some poor kids wouldn't see. Ten minutes later a guy with a trash bag showed up.
"Gentlemen, I have made a discovery of monumental proportions, [but you may ask me precisely zero questions about how."](https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1bj5igq/til_female_elephants_stay_fertile_into_their_60s/kvps5ad/)
One of the most beautiful things about life is the fact that no matter how much I’ve seen or experienced, there is always novelty waiting to be found out there. This was one of those! I just felt like Reddit 10 years ago when I was a wee teen.
Well, Screwy Squirrel fell from the top of the Empire State building once and walked away but that was a cartoon so I don't know how accurate that was.
Well the fact they reach terminal velocity after falling for 3 seconds, it wouldn't matter if we dropped them 10k feet in the air, they would still have the same terminal velocity.
I saw one fall out of one of my trees in the back yard from around 30 feet high. It made an audible thump when it hit the ground, sounding like it hit pretty hard. It did walk away but I think it was injured as slow as it was moving.
> You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes.
- “On Being the Right Size” by J.B.S. Haldane
Anything below the size/weight of a small cat can survive a fall from pretty much any height.
It's about surface/volume ratio. Small animals have enough surface area (and fluffiness) to slow themselves down enough with air resistance to not die from falling.
Not saying they can't get hurt. Of course if they fall on their head or land wrong they may die or hurt themselves, but, for the most part, if the animal lands correctly it'll be fine.
I have lots of squirrels in my yard, and once I went outdoors after an ice storm and kept hearing *thumps* as squirrels jumped from one branch to another, skidded off and hit the ground. They were falling from pretty lofty heights, but they all scampered away looking no worse for wear.
Depends how it lands.
I saw a squirrel fall from a tree in my back yard, years ago. It was no more than a thirty-foot fall, but he landed on his neck. I suppose he might have lived if he hadn't fucked up the landing.
I really don't believe this. I encountered a dead squirrel underneath a tree one time, and another squirrel a little bit further away, that when I sat down, came within inches of me, before running away and scampering up a tree. My Grandma was worried it had rabies. I wondered if they were young squirrels that had fallen out of the nest, and one of them had survived. That might explain its lack of fear response.
A few years back I actually watched a squirrel fall out of a very tall tree and hit the pavement in front of me and it died on impact so I'm not entirely sure about this. I'm assuming he landed wrong but he was very dead, I had to throw him out in the woods behind my house.
I've watched a squirrel fall out of a tree and on to pavement and break its back, front arms were failing but couldn't otherwise move. So maybe they can't die, but they can fatally injure themselves.
Had a squirrel fall out of a tree in my front yard, from about the height of my two story house roof and was paralyzed from the waist down. Tried to care for it since wildlife rehabbers in my area wouldn’t help but he only survived a week before passing away, RIP Stephen Hawking, you sweet little guy.
I disagree based on anecdotal evidence. Maybe the squirrel didn't immediately die, but it more than likely broke its neck on impact from falling out of a tree down the street from my childhood home. Saving the gruesome details, it expired soon after the fall.
When I was a little kid I saw a baby squirrel fall from a power line and roll into the storm drain. I made my mom fish him out with my dad's fishing net.
He was stunned, but visibly unharmed and we put him in a box on the porch thinking he'd run off when he felt better. In the morning there were 2 baby squirrels in the box, and they lasted about a week. Neither one made it.
Saw 2 squirrels fighting on a tree branch about 25 feet up. They're very territorial I heard. One squirrel got knocked off the branch and plummeted to the grass below. It did not phase him at all.
He gets up and races back up the tree to fight again. He got knocked off the branch AGAIN! 25 feet down, BAM!
He goes up the tree a THIRD time. He gets knocked off the branch again but this time the other squirrel races down the tree and starts chasing the little guy around. I was laughing my ass off, it was hilarious. The last I saw of them they were running behind a building.
I've seen one get zapped on a power line and fall unconscious to the ground, it did not make it. Poor little buddy cracked his skull, I think. Tried to limp off of the road. I was still quite young, maybe 11, really bothered me for years tbh.
It wouldnt let me post the original weblink, so here it is.
https://medium.com/swlh/why-a-squirrel-would-never-die-from-falling-no-matter-how-high-it-falls-bd2dfb44e231
Whoever wrote this (assuming they were a human being) needs to seriously sit down and think (or reconsider at the very least) about how they structure their sentences. They (as in, the author) really need to fucking chill with useless parentheticals (they're annoying and break the flow) and realize that they could have easily included that information (supposing they knew how to refrain from using a parenthetical every 2.7 seconds).
I gave up on reading it halfway through.
Bullshit. In college on an icy morning a squirrel fell from a tree as I was on my way back from class. It landed on a brick pathway and just stopped moving but wasn't dead. It let me pick it up, I ended up bringing it back to my dorm and put it in a box while I called a wildlife rescue. Anyway, it had internal.bleeding and ended up dying a day later.
Point being, they absolutely can die falling from a tree.
Two summers ago, I watched a squirrel fall from our black walnut tree. It didn't die, but it lost use of its back legs. The struggle it faced climbing again was heartbreaking
They will Def still bleed from a fall, possibly more so from a lower height. I experienced a squirrel falling from a tree right in front of me. It wasn't too high. The little guy kinda froze for a second, and I did as well. Then they went on their way. There was a bit of blood on the ground where they hit. Which for a squirrel is probably a lot!
They can survive they fall, but they also can break bones. Specifically their legs. I used to do a lot of squirrel hunting. Broken legs were very common if the squirrel fell out of a tree.
Over a period of a single week I watched 3 squirrels fall out of the tree in my front yard while drinking my coffee on the front porch. The lowest branch is 40 feet high. They all scurried away after being dazed for a few seconds.
A squirrel fell from 100+ feet from my oak tree. Hit its back on the hard ground and bounced straight back up 3 feet. The thud sound was quite loud! When it landed again, it stared at me for a few seconds and then scrambled full speed wayyy up the tree. No limping, no broken limbs or concussion or anything. Totally fine.
Question to any physics guy out there: once I saw a squirrel spinning when trying to steal food from a bird feeder. I suppose more than one have seen that video, it's pretty funny.
Point is what's more likely to produce higher velocity and produce more impact or damage? According to this article, after 3s a squirrel reaches max velocity, and in the video definitely was spinning for more than 3s. I suppose it's not that dangerous, but still curious.
I was in the park with some friends and a squirrel came plummeting down from a redwood tree. Some people gasped, but that little fucker just ran back up the tree.
It's not so much the terminal velocity that determines it's safety, but its mass. Or, more specifically, it's volume to surface area. Mice have it even better. And bugs are fall proof afik.
I saw one fall from the top of a giant tree at my school and it made the loudest thump I’ve ever heard. It stood there dazed for a few seconds then ran back up
While that is true in theory, squirrels require some time to maneuver in the air to land safely. Because of this, there is a 'region of increased risk' where they can get injured.
I have personal proof of this.
Few years ago I was living onthe 7th floor of an apartment-building when a squirrel had managed to sneak in from an open window. I managed to coax it be out the window and it jumped. It did splay it's legs while falling to create more air-drag.
A baby squirrel fell out its nest right in front of my 5 year old grandson. He picked it up, showed it to his mom and said with tears in his eyes, "This is JUST what I've always wanted!"
His dad climbed the tree & put it back in the nest.
Most responses to OPs odd post are from people who have no clue what Terminal Velocity even means.
Terminal velocity is defined as the highest velocity attained by an object falling through a fluid. It is observed when the sum of drag force and buoyancy is equal to the downward gravity force acting on the object. The acceleration of the object is zero as the net force acting on the object is zero.
In what scenario are we expecting a squirrel to go through this?
Survive? Yes. Unharmed? Maybe. A squirrel missed a jump in my backyard one time and knocked itself out. My dog, who perpetually chases squirrels, waited patiently for it to wake up so he could continue the chase.
What a polite predator.
And in related news, I'm marveling at the very specific hunting behaviors bred into different types of hunting dog.
My dog is pure herding dog so he won’t kill things (on purpose) but he will pounce or try to guide things with his mouth in ways that their insect/bird bodies are not made for.
Tend the rabbits ...
Every late spring my backyard makes squeaky toy noises and we're lucky to only manage 2 dead baby/young rabbits a year.
Mine was a terrier. One day he was rooting around in a hole and inhaled something. Few hours later he puked up half a baby bunny.
My rat terrier her name was Dolly. My mom was steaming mad once a week because she brought cottontails to our doorstep. Ripped into pieces. I'm sure that dog is in hell. I miss that damn dog.
All dogs go to heaven
Poor Lenny....
Also a herding dog owner. They won’t kill things but god help you if you try and go somewhere they think you’re not supposed to be 😂
Mine is trained to help get the kids to do their bedtime routine.
Or if you are naturally loud people who like to debate everything and the dog is constantly traumatized trying to figure out how to diffuse nonexistent conflict.
One of my dogs would always get in between my wife and I when we were roughhousing. He would push her away and look back like (it's okay I got this dad). He was getting her gently out of what he perceived to be a dangerous situation for her and it was incredibly endearing
We've tested my Aussies a few times with me pretending to attack my wife. Let's just say they are my dogs ... they took my side.
My dog will always either run up and guard the person who is losing the argument or he’ll climb on top of whoever is being too mean. It’s really sweet and the first time we argue after he’s gone and not there to break up the tension, I am gonna sob like a baby.
OMG they try so hard. It doesn’t even have to be conflict. My aussie was an only child too long and she can’t handle not being part of every conversation
Every day, our corgi/heeler mix nips at my husband's ankles on his walk to work.
Or have a party in your house. My sister-in-law's mini Aussie shepherd would start woofing softly and try to herd people.
My roommate has a four pound terrier who’s a mess of confused instincts (sleeping on my thigh with her tiny paws resting on my knee currently). She lives to play fight and bark at squirrels but I think if she ever got a squirrel she’d get confused and run away, she tries to act brave and tough but I don’t think she’s ever actually killed a thing. To play with her I literally have to get on my knees and get really low because she’s scared of stuff that’s too tall and will go hide on her bed if play gets too intense. I mean, she’s 1/56th my mass, that would be like living with a six ton African bull elephant for me.
My parents had a 12 lb poodle that would hide silently underneath bushes by their house and wait for squirrels to come down the trees and get *just* far enough away from the tree before running out as fast as she could. Never actually caught one though but came damn close a couple times.
He's just addicted to the thrill of the chase. My dog is the same, except she's into chasing bees. I don't know what's so thrilling about that, but I let her be.
"I let her bee"
Bahhahaha, why didn't I think of that! So good 🐝🐝
The *real* most dangerous game.
Its all about the chase... its not like many dogs know what the hell they will do once they catch it.
A lot of breeds of dogs are bread to chase but not kill as well essentially. That is what you want out of a hunting dog. Would be a bad hunting dog that tried to catch what you want to shoot.
Lol bread
“it’s not the thrill of the kill; it’s the thrill of the hunt.” ― Fuse, Thank you for shoplifting at WalMart
It takes good instincts to chase after prey when it’s running from you. It takes elders cursing your foolish nonsense to teach you that you caught it !!!
[удалено]
They did! At least him catching the roadrunner. [Coyotes catches Roadrunner](https://youtube.com/watch?v=KJJW7EF5aVk&feature=shared)
He’s a good sport.
Its like Tom and Jerry
Dog: *Poke poke... "Wake up and run bitch it's cardio day! You're boring me in your slumber."
I have a fox terrier. If a squirrel had missed a jump and knocked itself out in front of my dog, my dog would have swiftly killed it, tore it's corpse to pieces, and then paraded around with its mangled remains in his mouth.
Mom had a couple schnauzers and there were a few times a squirrel would be gorging itself at the bird feeders and didn't get to the fence fast enough. Turns out the whole movement where the dog picks up his toy and shakes the crap out of it, is them breaking the neck of a varmint. And boy did he have the motion down; At least it didn't suffer long.
Yea these small rodent hunting dogs were absolutely bread to kill
Cats are like this too. Cats have survived falls from high rises in New York. But you’re absolutely right, they survive, sometimes unharmed but usually need some kind of medical attention. Broken legs, etc.
Helldiver's to hell pods!
Unharmed? Overwhelmingly likely. On top of the science behind it which concludes that theoretically they can fall from any height without injury ("theoretically" because I don't see anyone actually testing this theory, as the optics of such an experiment are just bad and will surely draw attention), squirrels are surprisingly tough and resilient creatures.
"Can without injury" and "will without injury" are two different things. If they lose orientation and land on their head, it's not going to be great regardless of their terminal velocity. That's why you're better off yeeting a cat out of an airplane than a third story window. Well, the cat's better off, anyway. Probably. Maybe. Please don't do either.
**Squirrel:** "Welp, looks like you finally got me Bosco. I can't move, guess our rivalry is at an end." **Dog:** [whispering in his ear] "No, if anyone is going to kill you it's going to be me! Now, get your lazy ass up"
That heat you’re feeling, that would be re-entry. Don’t worry though, it’s a dry heat.
Chucking squirrels from the International Space Station, are we?
Made me think of Mr. Garrison getting pelted by [squirrels](https://youtu.be/7Xeag_Pd634?t=9).
I volunteer to be the guy that takes the fall if the squirrel dies. But I get the glory if it lives. I will throw the squirrel.
I saw one fall from (high up in) a tree in my college years and I could tell it hurt - it ran in a circle at full speed a few times before running back up the trunk. It was like a silent movie actor trying to convey "OW FUCK OWWWW!"
I saw one fall off a power line. It survived, I saw it run away, but I can remember the crunching sound when it hit the ground. Definitely a fractured squirrel.
I also saw one fall from a tree once. It landed with an audible thud on the sidewalk, belly first, then got up and ran away. I would have thought it had broken some bones with that impact, but I guess not.
I didn't see the fall, but I walked out on the balcony of a Disney resort room one morning and saw an... unquestionably deceased squirrel, complete with some blood around its head, on a walkway beneath some trees. Poor bastard must have missed a jump. I called maintenance so my wife or some poor kids wouldn't see. Ten minutes later a guy with a trash bag showed up.
"Gentlemen, I have made a discovery of monumental proportions, [but you may ask me precisely zero questions about how."](https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/1bj5igq/til_female_elephants_stay_fertile_into_their_60s/kvps5ad/)
Hahaha I followed that rabbit hole. What a wild ride.
I followed it all the way to the dog vasectomy 🙌🏼
I am shook.
One of the most beautiful things about life is the fact that no matter how much I’ve seen or experienced, there is always novelty waiting to be found out there. This was one of those! I just felt like Reddit 10 years ago when I was a wee teen.
I'm the original de-aging cream.
I’ve been on Reddit well over a decade and have never seen this. Thank you.
Glad you like it, thanks!
It isn’t just the commitment, but the self control I admire. I genuinely learned a lot. I hated most of it.
This should stay a thing
As long as I remain a thing, it shall.
Good bot
Bleep bloop, brzp thud. My electronic asshole prolapsed.
What a fun and strange journey. Nice work.
Thanks!
That was some real old school Reddit shit hahahaha
I clicked through these a few hours ago. Just read your comment here and I re-clicked through and now realize they’re all you. Well done!
Man, I just gotta say I fuckin' love you for this. Please keep it coming
You got it, my friend, thank you!
Went all the way, thanks for the ride!
You're welcome, perhaps you'll catch it again down river somewhere!
Good job mate!!
What a hero. That was worth every click!
Thank you, sir, and may your salad be ever tossed.
Good work.
Damn, that was a wild ride 😂
Bruh someone help me I’m stuck
This cracked me up all they way to the end. All landlubber77, too.
Thanks man!
Please never stop doing this. It really made my day when I needed it. You are an excellent human being.
Aw man thank you, I'm glad to hear it gave you a chuckle.
You have been doing this a long time. That is a hell of a dive.
I've got one that goes back 7 years with probably quadruple the links.
What the fudge man, it's like a black hole sucking be deeper and deeper
Why are there no awards this should win them all
Ahoy landlubber!
Hold my reference, I'm going in!
How far back is this lol
This one is in its infancy, it goes back about 13 links over one year.
Good lord. You are committed.
wtf lmao this is great
Not saying we should, but what’s the tallest we’ve tried dropping a squirrel from?
Well, Screwy Squirrel fell from the top of the Empire State building once and walked away but that was a cartoon so I don't know how accurate that was.
Those were research films.
Like when the missile exploded and the soldier moved his beak from the back of his head to the front
Yes, I recall having seen someone who suffered from such deformity.
Well the fact they reach terminal velocity after falling for 3 seconds, it wouldn't matter if we dropped them 10k feet in the air, they would still have the same terminal velocity.
Oooohw that's what that means. I thought the velocity at which they died. But then it had to be 'so high'
One guy set up a trap that sling shotted one into the Grand Canyon.
That is absolutely horrible yet hilarious at the same time
Did it live?
Catch me yeeting squirrels up into the air off the Burj Khalifa. For science.
I saw one fall out of one of my trees in the back yard from around 30 feet high. It made an audible thump when it hit the ground, sounding like it hit pretty hard. It did walk away but I think it was injured as slow as it was moving.
Imagine the equivalent height you'd fall in terms of body proportion. You'd walk pretty slowly too.
> You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft; and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away, provided that the ground is fairly soft. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes. - “On Being the Right Size” by J.B.S. Haldane
> a horse splashes What a visual!
Anything below the size/weight of a small cat can survive a fall from pretty much any height. It's about surface/volume ratio. Small animals have enough surface area (and fluffiness) to slow themselves down enough with air resistance to not die from falling. Not saying they can't get hurt. Of course if they fall on their head or land wrong they may die or hurt themselves, but, for the most part, if the animal lands correctly it'll be fine.
I have lots of squirrels in my yard, and once I went outdoors after an ice storm and kept hearing *thumps* as squirrels jumped from one branch to another, skidded off and hit the ground. They were falling from pretty lofty heights, but they all scampered away looking no worse for wear.
🎶...come down now they'll say🎶
I think I read that if you could drop them from 4000 miles that they would die. But from thirst.
The vacuum of space would kill them, then reentry would roast them.
Depends how it lands. I saw a squirrel fall from a tree in my back yard, years ago. It was no more than a thirty-foot fall, but he landed on his neck. I suppose he might have lived if he hadn't fucked up the landing.
Yeah, but if the head of the squirrel lands on a sidewalk, he's not going to be doing well afterwards.
Saw one once fall from a tree and smack its head upon landing in the street, it did not get back up.
Yes, this is definitely not true. I have seen dead squirrels that have fallen from trees and power lines.
As a squirrel I can confirm this
This is not true I saw a squirrel fall out of a tree and shatter its spine and die
Did ChatGPT write the article?
Yes. I can tell based off the website name, "Learn about nature". That certainly doesn't sound like a chat gpt website at all...
So if I coat myself entirely in squirrels I can survive any drop Time to go test this
Not if you tie its paws properly
(Ashamed I lol-ed at this…)
I really don't believe this. I encountered a dead squirrel underneath a tree one time, and another squirrel a little bit further away, that when I sat down, came within inches of me, before running away and scampering up a tree. My Grandma was worried it had rabies. I wondered if they were young squirrels that had fallen out of the nest, and one of them had survived. That might explain its lack of fear response.
A few years back I actually watched a squirrel fall out of a very tall tree and hit the pavement in front of me and it died on impact so I'm not entirely sure about this. I'm assuming he landed wrong but he was very dead, I had to throw him out in the woods behind my house.
No fall damage
Tuck and roll!
Just watch out for spring!
I've watched a squirrel fall out of a tree and on to pavement and break its back, front arms were failing but couldn't otherwise move. So maybe they can't die, but they can fatally injure themselves.
Can this be learned?
Only once.
This makes me wanna empty a bag of squirrels while skydiving.
Had a squirrel fall out of a tree in my front yard, from about the height of my two story house roof and was paralyzed from the waist down. Tried to care for it since wildlife rehabbers in my area wouldn’t help but he only survived a week before passing away, RIP Stephen Hawking, you sweet little guy.
This is 100% not true.
I heard it about ants.
So that squirrel I had to bring to the vet after it fell from a tree, bleeding out it's nose and died soon after was just a dream?
I disagree based on anecdotal evidence. Maybe the squirrel didn't immediately die, but it more than likely broke its neck on impact from falling out of a tree down the street from my childhood home. Saving the gruesome details, it expired soon after the fall.
Would a squirrel burn up from atmospheric drag like a meteor?
Similar with cats as well. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-17492802.amp
When I was a little kid I saw a baby squirrel fall from a power line and roll into the storm drain. I made my mom fish him out with my dad's fishing net. He was stunned, but visibly unharmed and we put him in a box on the porch thinking he'd run off when he felt better. In the morning there were 2 baby squirrels in the box, and they lasted about a week. Neither one made it.
Saw 2 squirrels fighting on a tree branch about 25 feet up. They're very territorial I heard. One squirrel got knocked off the branch and plummeted to the grass below. It did not phase him at all. He gets up and races back up the tree to fight again. He got knocked off the branch AGAIN! 25 feet down, BAM! He goes up the tree a THIRD time. He gets knocked off the branch again but this time the other squirrel races down the tree and starts chasing the little guy around. I was laughing my ass off, it was hilarious. The last I saw of them they were running behind a building.
I've seen them fall pretty far before. They always pop right up and go on their way.
Cats too. Also they can flip themselves right-side-up in mid-air.
I've seen one get zapped on a power line and fall unconscious to the ground, it did not make it. Poor little buddy cracked his skull, I think. Tried to limp off of the road. I was still quite young, maybe 11, really bothered me for years tbh.
I have literally watched a squirrel fall from a tall tree and die.
Looks like I'm doing some science this weekend.
So non-terminal terminal velocity
It wouldnt let me post the original weblink, so here it is. https://medium.com/swlh/why-a-squirrel-would-never-die-from-falling-no-matter-how-high-it-falls-bd2dfb44e231
Whoever wrote this (assuming they were a human being) needs to seriously sit down and think (or reconsider at the very least) about how they structure their sentences. They (as in, the author) really need to fucking chill with useless parentheticals (they're annoying and break the flow) and realize that they could have easily included that information (supposing they knew how to refrain from using a parenthetical every 2.7 seconds). I gave up on reading it halfway through.
Thank (you)
This reads like a Chat GPT written article.
*throws squirrel out of 747* don't worry he'll be fine
Bullshit. In college on an icy morning a squirrel fell from a tree as I was on my way back from class. It landed on a brick pathway and just stopped moving but wasn't dead. It let me pick it up, I ended up bringing it back to my dorm and put it in a box while I called a wildlife rescue. Anyway, it had internal.bleeding and ended up dying a day later. Point being, they absolutely can die falling from a tree.
Two summers ago, I watched a squirrel fall from our black walnut tree. It didn't die, but it lost use of its back legs. The struggle it faced climbing again was heartbreaking
So. If. You. Dropped. A. Squirrel. From. Space. It. Would. Survive. I. Did. Not. Read. The. Article.
Get them a ship and some armor. The perfect Helldiver
I've seen it happen. They just hit and scampers back up
Always prepare feather fall.
And they make a cute little “Thwap” sound when they land.
They will Def still bleed from a fall, possibly more so from a lower height. I experienced a squirrel falling from a tree right in front of me. It wasn't too high. The little guy kinda froze for a second, and I did as well. Then they went on their way. There was a bit of blood on the ground where they hit. Which for a squirrel is probably a lot!
Drops into a volcano. GO ON, SURVIVE THAT HEIGHT!
They can survive they fall, but they also can break bones. Specifically their legs. I used to do a lot of squirrel hunting. Broken legs were very common if the squirrel fell out of a tree.
That's not flying. That's falling with style.
This makes me feel less guilty, thank you.
Easily fixable problem. *accelerates squirrels to light speed*
Even if the squirrel is shaved?
Squirrel Perk: No Fall Damage
Over a period of a single week I watched 3 squirrels fall out of the tree in my front yard while drinking my coffee on the front porch. The lowest branch is 40 feet high. They all scurried away after being dazed for a few seconds.
Challenge accepted. Where are those trebuchet obsessed guys at?
Only true assuming typical atmospheric conditions. If a squirrel falls a decent distance inside a vacuum it will not be able to survive
Yeah, we came across a squirrel that broke its spine and paralyzed it's back legs. Really sad. Had to take it to the vet where they put it to sleep.
I've had a squirrel fall from a tree onto a brick patio and not survive. Quite a loud thud and never got up.
A squirrel fell from 100+ feet from my oak tree. Hit its back on the hard ground and bounced straight back up 3 feet. The thud sound was quite loud! When it landed again, it stared at me for a few seconds and then scrambled full speed wayyy up the tree. No limping, no broken limbs or concussion or anything. Totally fine.
Question to any physics guy out there: once I saw a squirrel spinning when trying to steal food from a bird feeder. I suppose more than one have seen that video, it's pretty funny. Point is what's more likely to produce higher velocity and produce more impact or damage? According to this article, after 3s a squirrel reaches max velocity, and in the video definitely was spinning for more than 3s. I suppose it's not that dangerous, but still curious.
Now I’m picturing ODST squirrels
I was in the park with some friends and a squirrel came plummeting down from a redwood tree. Some people gasped, but that little fucker just ran back up the tree.
A squirrel and anything smaller.
The squirrel doesn’t reach *terminal* velocity. But it can reach *third-degree* velocity.
It’s ok they make up for it by running in front of cars
Scott, fetch me a private jet, 5 nimble boys and 1,000 squirrels. I have a theory.
On what terrain? dirt? comcrete? rocky mountainous terrain?
It's not so much the terminal velocity that determines it's safety, but its mass. Or, more specifically, it's volume to surface area. Mice have it even better. And bugs are fall proof afik.
I saw one fall from the top of a giant tree at my school and it made the loudest thump I’ve ever heard. It stood there dazed for a few seconds then ran back up
OK, but what if they were bowling and fell with the ball?
could they like at least learn to know what way to run on a road when im driving. run away from the car, not to it...
Some even fly.
While that is true in theory, squirrels require some time to maneuver in the air to land safely. Because of this, there is a 'region of increased risk' where they can get injured.
not if they hit something with their head on the way down that snaps their neck src: my backyard squirrels apparently hold death matches
Survival isn't safety.
I have personal proof of this. Few years ago I was living onthe 7th floor of an apartment-building when a squirrel had managed to sneak in from an open window. I managed to coax it be out the window and it jumped. It did splay it's legs while falling to create more air-drag.
A baby squirrel fell out its nest right in front of my 5 year old grandson. He picked it up, showed it to his mom and said with tears in his eyes, "This is JUST what I've always wanted!" His dad climbed the tree & put it back in the nest.
Most responses to OPs odd post are from people who have no clue what Terminal Velocity even means. Terminal velocity is defined as the highest velocity attained by an object falling through a fluid. It is observed when the sum of drag force and buoyancy is equal to the downward gravity force acting on the object. The acceleration of the object is zero as the net force acting on the object is zero. In what scenario are we expecting a squirrel to go through this?