As an avid nature lover and squirrel enthusiast, I’m always fascinated by the unique behaviors and adaptations of these nimble rodents. Recently, I came across several peculiar stories about a phenomenon dubbed the “squirrel king”.

A squirrel king is when a group of squirrels is found with their tails intricately knotted together. What causes this strange occurrence and how do these bushy-tailed critters end up in such a predicament?

In this blog post, I’ll unravel the mystery of the squirrel king by exploring real-world cases, potential causes, and outcomes for these peculiar squirrel clusters. I’ve dug into the details and experiences around these furry tangles to provide a comprehensive look at this unusual nuisance.

What is a Squirrel King?

A squirrel king refers to a group of young squirrels, typically from the same litter, that become knotted together by their tails. This entanglement severely restricts their movement and ability to separate from each other. Without human intervention, squirrel kings often perish due to starvation, predation, or injury.

Here’s a video showing a rare squirrel king:

The phenomenon resembles rat kings, which are clusters of rats tangled together by their tails. However, squirrel kings appear to be much rarer occurrences. When they do happen, it’s often a litter of 3-7 juvenile squirrels knotted together.

Documented Cases of Squirrel Kings

While rare, there have been several documented (“The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena“ by Bob Rickard, John Michell page 418) cases of squirrel kings over the past few decades:

In September 1989, 4 squirrels were found with tails entangled in Easton, Pennsylvania. They were severely injured and had to be euthanized.
In 1991, 5 squirrels, including 2 albinos, were discovered knotted together in Baltimore, Maryland. They were successfully separated and freed.
In July 1997, a squirrel king of 5 juveniles was found in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. They were untangled and released unharmed.
In June 2013, 6 baby squirrels were rescued after becoming tied together in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. All were successfully separated and survived.
In May 2018, a litter of 6 squirrels was found entangled in Elkhorn, Nebraska. After carefully untangling them, all were freed and reunited with their mother.

These cases illustrate that squirrel kings, while unusual, do occur from time to time across North America. Quick action by wildlife rehabilitation experts is often needed to free the knotted critters and give them a chance at survival.

How Do Squirrel Kings Form?

So how do these bushy-tailed rodents end up becoming hopelessly tangled together? There are a few leading theories behind the formation of squirrel kings.

1. Accidental Knotting in the Nest

The most common cause seems to be accidental knotting within a crowded squirrel nest, known as a drey. Squirrel litters typically consist of 2-4 babies. When confined in a small nest, their wriggling and squirming can cause their tails to become intertwined, especially if nest materials also get caught in the knot.

As the squirrels grow, the knotted tails become even more tightly bound. When they try to leave the nest, they remain stuck together and can topple to the ground.

2. Getting Trapped in Sap or Debris

Some cases of squirrel kings appear to be caused by tree sap or other sticky substances. Sap oozing from trees in the squirrels’ habitat can coat their fur and tails, gluing them together if they nest or brush up against it.

Here’s a video showing a squirrel king caused by tree sap:

Likewise, materials like gum, tar, or plastic bags can trap squirrels. As they try to free themselves, their tails can twist into an intractable knot.

3. Intentional Abuse

Sadly, there have been isolated incidents where it appears humans intentionally tied squirrels’ tails together. For example, in Connecticut in 2019, some juveniles were found with their tails braided and tied with string, showing clear signs of abuse.

While natural causes are the main culprit, malicious animal cruelty can also result in defenseless squirrel kings.

Dangers and Risks for Squirrel Kings

Once their tails become tightly knotted together, squirrel kings face serious threats to their safety and survival. Here are some of the biggest risks:

Inability to move freely – The entanglement impairs the squirrels’ mobility and coordination, preventing natural behaviors like climbing, foraging, and escaping predators.
Loss of balance and falling – Linked together, losing balance is more likely, increasing the chance of falling from heights and suffering an injury.
Circulation loss and tissue necrosis – Constriction can reduce blood flow, causing pain, tissue damage, and tail loss.
Starvation and dehydration – Immobility makes it hard to access food and water, leading to malnutrition.
Vulnerability to predators – Lack of mobility leaves them easy prey for foxes, hawks, cats, and other predators.
Social isolation – Unable to keep up with others, squirrel kings are isolated and lose the protection of being in a group.

Without assistance, death is almost certain for these helpless squirrels. Their greatest chance of survival is through human intervention and rehabilitation.

Separating and Rehabilitating Squirrel Kings

When a squirrel king is discovered, the priority is carefully separating their entangled tails to free the individuals. This delicate process is best done by trained wildlife rehabilitators, using methods like:

Anesthetizing the squirrels to keep them calm and prevent pain.
Gently teasing apart knotted fur, unzipping any matting bit-by-bit.
Snipping away debris like plastic or grass ensnared in the tails.
Applying cornstarch to lubricate and loosen stuck fur.
In extreme cases, trimming away irreparably damaged tissue to free the squirrels.

With care not to cause further injury, most tangled tails can be freed. The separated squirrels then undergo rehabilitation to recover and rebuild strength before release.

Rehabilitation involves housing the squirrels in individual cages, monitoring their health, and feeding them nutritious foods like fruits, seeds, and fungi. Once fully recuperated, they can be returned to the wild at their rescue location to rejoin normal squirrel life.

Preventing Squirrel King Formation

While we can’t entirely prevent natural squirrel king occurrences, there are some steps that can potentially reduce the likelihood:

Installing nest boxes offers safer housing than natural tree nests.
Wrapping trees with metal sheeting can block sap leaks and stickiness.
Keeping yards free of hair-tangling debris like gum, string, bags.
Capping chimneys and holes that squirrels could nest in.
Educating others not to intentionally abuse wildlife.

Promoting humane habits can help squirrels coexist with people while avoiding needless suffering and entanglement.

Conclusion

The squirrel king remains a puzzle – with theories on causes but few definitive answers. Each case seems to be a unique circumstance of unlucky knotting, trapping, or cruelty. By understanding how these clusters form, the dangers they face, and proper rehabilitation methods, we can relieve their distress and give entangled squirrels a second chance at an active, unencumbered life.

I hope this deep dive has unraveled some of the mystery around these perplexing squirrel knots! Let me know if you have any other squirrel king questions.