squirrels do not take fall damage! they can survive impacts at their terminal velocity (the fastest speed they can fall at due to air resistance/drag)- they reach the full speed of their fall in 3 seconds. the reason for their low terminal velocity is that the surface area of their body relative to their weight is fairly large…. that big ol’ fluffy tail helps slow down their fall.
we have some extremely territorial grey squirrels in our yard- they LOVE to yell at my small hairless cat. the other day, she was staring directly at one that was munchin’ on a nut and the squirrel THREW THE NUT at her. the nerve!
my neighborhood in inland southern california didn’t have squirrels until around 2012 or so but they’ve really made themselves at home ( and with such confidence!)
we have a lot of cats, and they coexist much more peacefully with the squirrels then i would imagine. the squirrels love to eat the cat food we leave out, and our cats will patiently wait their turn for the food
also, my friend cheyne shared this with me… the infamous superhero squirrel landing pose
