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by Spixxy on December 11th, 2004

Spixxy

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Why do squirrels have such big fluffy tails?

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  • by katscratcedme on December 14th, 2004

    katscratcedme

    I don't know exactly why evolution has chosen to favour squirrels with big fluffy tails but an interesting fact is the name squirrel comes from its latin name; Sciurus. The latin name however has Greek origins. It is derived from the Greek word skiouros, which means shade-tail. This is because when squirrels sit upright their long fluffy tail curls up behind them and shades them from the sun.

    Possibly this is also the reason they have fluffy tails, or it may be to add stability when jumping from limb to limb.

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