African tree squirrels, often seen scurrying on the ground or up in the trees, are rather interesting when it comes to defending themselves. Wondering how such a small animal would be able to do anything? If they are together as a family and recognise a threat close by, they perform a tactic known as “mobbing”, whereby they all come together and start to make harsh clicking sounds towards the threat as well as flicking their tails. The longer the threat continues, the harsher the clicks become and the more intense the tail flicking – until the threatening creature moves off. If the squirrel is alone and becomes a larmed, it quickly escapes into a tree and lies flat against a branch, keeping quite still, in the hope that it is not seen.
