If A Squirrel Is Twitching Its Tail At You, Here's What It Could Mean

Cute though they may be, squirrels are actually considered pests. Indeed, the eastern gray squirrel is one of several invasive species wreaking havoc in Oregon, displacing native squirrels and spreading disease. But even though these small rodents can be extremely troublesome, squirrels also do a lot of good. 

The creatures, which are members of the Sciuridae family, are very helpful in terms of preserving ecosystems, dispersing nutrients and seeds, and forming an important part of the natural food chain. Squirrels have many predators in the wild, from birds such as hawks and owls to fellow ground dwellers such as foxes and bobcats. As such, squirrels are important to the functioning and maintenance of ecosystems, even if they can be pests.

What's more, as pests go there are far less appealing examples. For one thing, squirrel behavior is fascinating. The creatures can often be seen rubbing their faces on acorns which acts as a way for the squirrel to mark the seed with its scent, thereby making it easier to find in future. You've likely also seen squirrels chasing one another, which is either over a territorial dispute or is, in fact, a mating chase. But what does it mean when you see a squirrel's tail twitching?

There are many types of squirrels but there are certain consistent behaviors across species. One of which is tail twitching. Those long, fluffy tails aren't just one of the more visually appealing aspects of squirrels, they actually serve several functions, and tail twitching can be a sign of many things. 

Squirrels use their tails to maintain their balance while jumping from branch to branch and generally rushing around in trees. They can even use their tails as parachutes after falling, making further use of them as cushions on which to land. Squirrels also use their tails to help them move in the right direction while swimming, for keeping cool during hot weather, and even for protection against rainfall. As such, squirrel tails are one of the most surprisingly useful appendages of any animal species, especially when you consider how the animals also use them for communication.

Squirrels can use their tails to express a variety of emotions and reactions to the world around them, one of which has to do with mating. During mating season, male squirrels shake and wiggle their tails to attract females in a sort of mating dance that tests to see if a female is safe to approach. After the male shakes his tail, he will assess the female's reaction, and if all seems well, move closer. He then repeats this same process until he and the female are together. Eurasian red squirrels have been observed performing rhythmic movements with their tails as they approach potential mates, which involves a forward flick and even holding the tip of the tail above their heads.

Squirrels twitching their tails during a mating dance might be something you happen to observe during a stroll in the park, but what about when the squirrel's tail flicks are directed at you? Well, don't worry, you're not about to be accosted by a sex-crazed squirrel, but you're probably not going to make friends with that squirrel, either, because the animals are known to flick their tails when startled or angry.

Squirrels have many natural predators, and we as humans happen to be one of them. As such, the small creatures might well be startled and intimidated by our presence, and the tail flicking is a way to signal that they've seen us — especially when combined with chittering noises. The animals don't just flick in this way to try to ward off humans, either. They use this behavior to communicate to other squirrels, either warning them of a predator in their midst or to stay away from their food.

The ability to repel threats with a tail flick is especially useful when it comes to predators that don't hear, such as snakes, which have been known to prey on squirrels in desert environments. In these instances, a good tail twitch is clearly going to be much more useful than any chittering noises. In fact, one 2007 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences revealed how California ground squirrels not only used tail-flagging signals to ward off gopher snakes, but heated their tails by several degrees when confronted with rattlesnakes in order to become more visible to the predators, which use pit organs in their noses to detect the infrared glow of prey. Put simply, these squirrels used their tails as infrared warnings to predators with infrared detection systems, which is something I'll bet you had no idea was even possible.

Squirrels use tail twitching to assert themselves in the face of predators, but such tail movements can also signal frustration. A study published in the Journal of Comparative Psychology was among the first to look at frustration in free-ranging animals, and focused specifically on fox squirrels. Researchers trained these squirrels to open a box containing a piece of walnut, then, after nine trials of this sort, the creatures were placed in scenarios where they either got the expected reward (the walnut), a piece of dried corn, an empty box, or a locked box.

By observing the animals in these situations, the researchers found that squirrels increased their tail flicks as they were presented with more frustrating scenarios, and exhibited the most tail flicks when confronted with a locked box. As such, the study showed that fox squirrels demonstrated short-term negative responses to frustrating developments, i.e. the inaccessibility or withdrawal of food. 

So, if you happen to see a squirrel twitching its tail and the animal clearly isn't focused on you, they might just be having trouble finding the nut they buried. If that squirrel does happen to be looking at you and is also flicking or twitching its tail, chances are it's either annoyed or frustrated, so it's best not to get too close.