Do Squirrels Have Super Senses?

We all know squirrels are cute and busy but do they have super senses? Given the acrobatics they perform on a daily basis, their speedy and seemingly calculated motions in snatching and stashing nuts, it is easy to conclude that they must have some superpowers. It is these talents that make Squirrel removal so difficult for Toronto property owners. Squirrels rely on their senses, especially sight, smell, and hearing, to survive. Thankfully squirrels are gifted with good hearing, seeing and smelling abilities because:

• They need to be able to detect danger in good time and respond quickly in order to avoid harm.
• They need to be able to find food even when it is buried underground.

But are these senses superior to those of other animals?

Super Sight

Squirrels have better eyesight than other rodents… during the day.  Not only do they have a sharper image in the day, but squirrels also have a wider scope of vision than many other wildlife citizens. This means a squirrel can see images and movements located on either side of its body without moving its head. When compared to mice, for instance, squirrels’ have a larger portion of the brain dedicated to visual functions. This is one of the reasons squirrels evade human beings who try to get close to them. It also makes squirrel removal difficult as the squirrel can detect an approaching person quite easily. Unfortunately, though, squirrels struggle to see in the dark. Expert wildlife technicians sometimes use this to their advantage by carrying out squirrel removal at night. Interestingly enough, even though squirrels may have a wider scope of vision, scientists discovered after exploring the biological systems supporting squirrel vision that squirrels may not be able to distinguish between colours such as the green leaves of summer versus the red fall leaves.

Super Hearing

Squirrels are great listeners! This is crucial to their survival as they must be able to detect the warning alarms belted out by their colleagues as well as the sounds of approaching predators. Impressively, they can detect sounds from a distance that is two and a half times the range of human hearing. This means that the slightest sound that you make while approaching a squirrel can startle the animals causing them to dart away which is another reason why squirrels are so hard to remove from buildings.

Sense of Touch and Smell

Squirrels rely on their sense of smell to find food. They can detect buried nuts this way but they also use their sense of smell in other ways. Trees marked by scent help to determine the social behaviour of squirrels and play a big role in their mating activities as well because a male can smell a female that is ready to mate. The tactile abilities of squirrels also help them to survive. They have highly sensitive hairs called vibrissae (which include their whiskers) on their bodies which allow them to detect objects in their surroundings. The vibrissae move in particular directions upon detecting objects and this sends messages to the squirrel’s brain about the object detected.

Super Speedy Champion Jumpers

Squirrels’ super-speed is seen every day as squirrels speed across lawns, streets and parks. These furry foragers' dart this way and that, changing direction suddenly in what may seem like tactical strategies designed to confuse observers. Squirrels are also excellent leapers. One species of squirrels, the flying squirrel jumps so far it looks like it is flying. This longer leap is facilitated by the wing-like flaps that extend down the sides of the flying squirrel’s body. This is yet another reason squirrels are hard to remove from buildings. Novice or untrained wildlife removers will have met their match as squirrels speed past them and leap out of their reach. Clearly, all of these special abilities combine to make squirrels a challenging animal to handle, especially when they are inside buildings. This is why effective squirrel removal requires the expertise of wildlife technicians who understand these super abilities and can anticipate squirrel behaviour. It also requires the right equipment. This is why Toronto homeowners who find themselves dealing with squirrel intrusion should turn to experts like Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. Our Skedaddle team in Toronto has been using specialist equipment and science-backed methods to successfully remove and exclude squirrels from homes across North America for over 30 years.