ArticleIntegrative and comparative biology2021
Inertial Tail Effects during Righting of Squirrels in Unexpected Falls: From Behavior to Robotics.
Article in Integrative and comparative biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- From one tree to the canopy: an evolutionary design trajectory for tethered robotics in forest environments.Frontiers in robotics and AI · 2026Article
- Asymmetries-induced nonlinear dynamic behaviors enable versatile modulation strategy for insect-scale robotics.Science advances · 2025Article
- Scaly-tail organ enhances static stability during Pel's scaly-tailed flying squirrels' arboreal locomotion.Journal of the Royal Society, Interface · 2025Article
- A Sheet-Shaped Transforming Robot That Can Be Thrown from the Air.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Adaptive tail-length evolution in deer mice is associated with differential Hoxd13 expression in early development.Nature ecology & evolution · 2024Article
- Putting a new spin on insect jumping performance using 3D modeling and computer simulations of spotted lanternfly nymphs.The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Article
- Blood python (Python brongersmai) strike kinematics and forces are robust to variations in substrate geometry.The Journal of experimental biology · 2023Article
- Article
- On the dynamics and control of a squirrel locking its head/eyes toward a fixed spot for safe landing while its body is tumbling in air.Frontiers in robotics and AI · 2022Article
- Body Caudal Undulation Measured by Soft Sensors and Emulated by Soft Artificial Muscles.Integrative and comparative biology · 2021Article
- Mechanisms for Mid-Air Reorientation Using Tail Rotation in Gliding Geckos.Integrative and comparative biology · 2021Article
- Tails, Flails, and Sails: How Appendages Improve Terrestrial Maneuverability by Improving Stability.Integrative and comparative biology · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Arboreal mammals navigate a highly three dimensional and discontinuous habitat. Among arboreal mammals, squirrels demonstrate impressive agility. In a recent "viral" YouTube video, unsuspecting squirrels were mechanically catapulted off of a track, inducing an initially uncontrolled rotation of the body. Interestingly, they skillfully stabilized themselves using tail motion, which ultimately allowed the squirrels to land successfully. Here we analyze the mechanism by which the squirrels recover from large body angular rates. We analyzed from the video that squirrels first use their tail to help stabilizing their head to visually fix a landing site. Then the tail starts to rotate to help stabilizing the body, preparing themselves for landing. To analyze further the mechanism of this tail use during mid-air, we built a multibody squirrel model and showed the righting strategy based on body inertia moment changes and active angular momentum transfer between axes. To validate the hypothesized strategy, we made a squirrel-like robot and demonstrated a fall-stabilizing experiment. Our results demonstrate that a squirrel's long tail, despite comprising just 3% of body mass, can inertially stabilize a rapidly rotating body. This research contributes to better understanding the importance of long tails for righting mechanisms in animals living in complex environments such as trees.
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