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JustcallmeKai t1_iued5fv wrote

Essentially, Squirrels use their tails to steer in the air by using the fluff as air resistance. by flattening their bodies and using their tails as a rudder, they can reduce their terminal velocity so much they can fall from any height unharmed.

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Mark Rober has a 3 part series all about squirrels and how they jump where he builds an obstacle course for them. He has a pretty good explanation of how squirrel's tails factor into their jumping begging at 16:10 in this video: https://youtu.be/hFZFjoX2cGg.

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luxfx t1_iufej0d wrote

Now to stretch that explanation for why they spin their tails -before- they jump, I would imagine it helps align / straighten the hairs to maximize this effect.

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pseudocultist t1_iufu32h wrote

Checking to make sure the tail doesn't have anything stuck to it, isn't encumbered, isn't suddenly missing a bunch of fur.

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