Q & A; The Tale of the Tail
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Published: July 6, 2010
Q. Three squirrels in our yard have mere stumps of tails, each a different length. What might have happened? Will it affect their health and longevity?
A. The tail of the common gray squirrel, Sciuris carolensis, is a valuable but vulnerable appendage, and luckily for the squirrel, it is not essential for survival.
The first part of the Latin name of the species translates roughly to ''shadow tail,'' and indeed the standard-issue long tail, which can be as long as the head and body combined, provides both shade and warmth. It has also been described as a signal flag and as a shield when fighting.
The most important function of the tail, however, is probably as a balance or stabilizing device in treetop acrobatics. In keeping with this function, tails are generally shorter in ground squirrels and even longer in flying squirrels, according to a 2008 study published in The Journal of Mammalogy.Squirrels face many predators in the wild and in the backyard, including snakes, hawks, owls, skunks and raccoons, as well as cats and dogs and humans. Part of a tail is sometimes lost to a grasping predator, but the thin covering of skin and muscle can be stripped away without mortal results, and a break-away tail can thus allow the squirrel to escape. The exposed bone eventually falls away and the stump heals. Squirrels may also lose part of the tail to snags like tree clefts and fences.
C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Readers are invited to submit questions by mail to Question, Science Times, The New York Times, 620 8th Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018, or by e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org.
DRAWING (DRAWING BY VICTORIA ROBERTS)