Humans may have conquered the earth but we aren’t the fastest. So how do animals run so fast? How do squirrels run so fast?

Squirrels move so fast because they have a very small mass to muscle ratio. This allows them to carry their weight easier and thus run faster. Also, these animals have many fast-twitch muscles. These muscles allow the animal to do quick aerobic exercises over a short distance and short period of time

Animals fly through the sky, run on land and swim through the seas. Many animals are faster than the fastest human. Depending on the animal’s size, the speed at which it runs will feel mush faster if it’s smaller. This is why a smaller animal running at the same speed as a larger animal is classified as faster.

If you’re interested in squirrels then you may be wondering why squirrels move so fast. This article offers the answer to that question, so if you’re a squirrel lover, wildlife enthusiast or are simply curious about why these little creatures run so fast this article is for you.

How do squirrels move so fast?

Squirrels are very small animals, they need to cover more ground over a short period of time and their bodies have adapted to be able to do this. There are different types of muscles that animals can have, two examples of these are type 1 and type 2 muscles.

Type 1 muscles are the slow-twitch muscles. They are more used by marathon runners, they are aerobic muscles which are beneficial for smoother motions over long distances and longer periods of time.

The type 2 muscles are the fast-twitch muscles. These are beneficial when you’re doing quick aerobic exercises over a short distance and short period of time. Squirrels and other small rodents and smaller animals have more type 2 muscles allowing them to make quick sprints and thus be faster 

In addition, because these animals are very small they have a very small mass to muscle ratio. Because of this, it is easier for them to move their body mass and thus run faster. 

Why are squirrels so jittery?

They are jittery as a survival mechanism, it’s called intermittent locomotion. This helps avoid predators detecting squirrels and thus helps these small animals with survival. 

If you’ve watched a squirrel move you’ve probably noticed that it moves in many brief pauses and not one long continuous run. The cost of doing this is that these brief pauses increase the time required to travel. Also, the time it takes to accelerate and decelerate makes the trip time even longer. 

The positive side to this is that this type of movement allows the squirrels to detect predators and this lowers the rate of attack. Also, predators prefer to attack moving prey because it is easier to see than prey that’s still. The freezing in-between running helps to disguise the squirrels in a way. 

Also, another positive of this is increased endurance. When the squirrels move fast then pause their bodies have a chance to clear lactate from its muscles though aerobic mechanisms. This allows them to run over longer distances without getting sore or fatigued

 

How fast can a squirrel move?

The average squirrel can move as fast as 20mph or 32kph. These tiny animals are remarkably fast for their size and they need to be. If they cannot outrun a predator then they will become the predator’s meal. They have padded feet that help to cushion their feet from all this running and these padded feet are also helpful for jumping 

Summary 

In summary, squirrels are able to run so fast because they have less body mass to move. Their low weight is easier to move and thus faster to move. They also have more muscles that are better at performing short quick movements.

They are so jittery because they need to run in short bursts to avoid predators and to prevent getting fatigued too quickly. An average squirrel will run at speeds of 20mph or 32kph.

If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other squirrel related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: why do squirrels run in front of cars, how do squirrels drink, why do squirrels run across the road, how do squirrels show affection, why do squirrels tease dogs,