The Science of Animal Movement: How Critters Climb
A squirrel uses its sharp claws to climb 4
5 CHAPTER 1 Finding Grip The forest's leaves are bright red orange and yellow A squirrel is busy finding acorns to store for winter It climbs up a tree Its sharp claws dig into the bark It pulls its body up
6 A squirrels ankles rotate to allow its claws to hook onto bark as it climbs down a tree Then the squirrel climbs down the tree headfirst The claws on its back feet can still cling to the bark That is because a squirrel can rotate its ankles backward This lets the squirrel's claws also point backward They can hook onto the bark The critter's short limbs keep its body close to the tree The squirrel can better control its movement
7 A cat's claws help it climb trees Fighting Gravity Many animals such as birds and lizards use claws to climb Claws are hard and pointed They can pierce into wood or cracks in rocks This gives animals grip With grip the animals can climb A squirrel's claws hook into grooves on tree bark The squirrel can unhook its claws to move its foot
