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A '''squirrel king''' is a bunch of [[squirrel]]s whose [[tail]]s have tangled together, making them unable to self-separate.<ref name=Newsweek-20180917> {{cite news |title= Squirrel King: Five Creatures Tied Together by Their Own Tails Discovered in Wisconsin |url= https://www.newsweek.com/squirrel-king-five-creatures-tied-together-their-own-tails-discovered-1123422 |author= Katherine Hignett |magazine= Newsweek |date= 17 September 2018 }} </ref> It is similar to a phenomenon recorded in rats, the [[rat king]], of rats with tails tangled together.<ref name=MentalFloss-20171024> {{cite magazine |url= https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/506504/almost-comprehensive-history-rat-kings |title= An (Almost) Comprehensive History of Rat Kings |author= Lucas Reilly |magazine= Mental Floss |date= 24 October 2017 }} </ref> The squirrels that become tangled are [[nest-mate]]s (ie. siblings), whose tails become knotted together. It may occur with the assistance of the nesting materials, also becoming part of the [[knot]], as a sort of binder. Or, tree sap may glue the tangled tails together. If the squirrels are not separated, they will invariably die, making this a lethal condition.<ref name=HSW-20180921> {{cite magazine |url= https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/why-squirrels-tails-knot.htm |title= What a Tangled Web a Few Squirrels' Tails Can Weave |author= Jaime Allen |date= 21 September 2018 |magazine= ? How Stuff Works |publisher= InfoSpace Holdings }} </ref><ref name=HuffPostCAN-20130613> {{cite news |url= https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/06/13/tangled-squirrels-tail-regina-animal-clinic_n_3436213.html |title= Tangled Squirrels Rescued By Regina Animal Clinic (PHOTOS) |date= 13 June 2013 |publisher= The Huffington Post Canada }} </ref> Unlike the rat king, the squirrel king is not found in medieval European literature.<ref name=ISBN9781405384568-pp418/>
#REDIRECT [[Rat king]]

==List of documented incidents==
This is a list of naturally occurring incidents.

{{listdev}}

* On 19 September 2019, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Beacon Falls, Massachusetts, USA. They were successfully separated, however, part of one tail needed to be amputated.<ref name=NBC10-20190920> {{cite news |url= https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/baby-squirrels-found-with-tails-tied-together-animal-hospital/1838451/ |title= Baby Squirrels Found With Tails Tied Together: Animal Hospital |date= 20 September 2019 |publisher= NBC 10 Boston }} </ref>
* In May 2019, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Stockton on Tees, County Durham, England, UK. They were successfully separated.<ref name=RSPCA-20190510> {{cite news |url= https://news.rspca.org.uk/2019/05/10/baby-squirrels-found-in-tall-tail-tangle/ |title= Baby squirrels found in tall tail tangle |author= Leanne Plumtree |date= 10 May 2019 |work= RSPCA News |publisher= Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (England and Wales) }} </ref>
* In May 2019, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England, UK. They were successfully separated.<ref name=VetsNow-20190513> {{cite web |url= https://www.vets-now.com/2019/05/baby-squirrels-tangled-tails/ |title= A member of the public came to the aid of the stuck squirrels |author= Carolyn McGinn |date= 13 May 2019 |publisher= Vets-Now.com }} </ref>
* On 23 September 2018, a tangle of 3 squirrels was discovered in Boulder, Colorado, USA. They were successfully untangled.<ref name=DenverPost-20180925> {{cite news |url= https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/25/boulder-squirrel-rescue/ |title= Boulder police rescue trio of squirrels with tangled tails |author= Mitchell Byars |date= 25 September 2018 |newspaper= The Denver Post }} </ref>
* In mid-September 2018, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Loveland, Colorado, USA. They were successfully separated at the Larimer Humane Society.<ref name=Y969-20180919> {{cite news |url= https://y969.iheart.com/featured/shawn-patrick/content/2018-09-19-four-squirrels-got-their-tails-tangled-in-colorado/ |title= Four Squirrels Got Their Tails Tangled in Colorado |author= Shawn Patrick |date= 19 September 2018 |publisher= Y96.9 iHeart Radio }} </ref>
* In September 2018, a tangle of 5 squirrels was discovered in Wisconsin, USA. They were successfully untangled.<ref name=Newsweek-20180917/>
* In summer 2018, a tangle of 4 juvenile squirrels was discovered in Nova Scotia, Canada. By the time they were discovered, 3 had already died. To separate them, the tail of the remaining survivor had to be amputated.<ref name=HFW-s8e8n99-20190125> {{cite episode |series= [[Hope for Wildlife]] |airdate= 25 January 2019 |title= Eagle Has Flown |season= 8 |number= 8 |id= episode 99 }} </ref>
* In mid-May 2018, a tangle of 6 eight-week-old squirrels was discovered in Elkhorn, Nebraska, USA; they were successfully untangled, and all 6 lived.<ref name=OmahaWH-20180518> {{cite news |url= https://www.omaha.com/news/goodnews/how-a-wildlife-expert-rescued-baby-squirrels-in-elkhorn-whose/article_147dcbe5-48f5-50d6-a459-111f77fb0a6f.html |title= How a wildlife expert rescued 6 baby squirrels in Elkhorn whose tails were knotted together |author= Michael O’Connor |newspaper= Omaha World-Herald |date= 18 May 2018 }} </ref>
* On 21 May 2017, a tangle of 4 juvenile squirrels was discovered in Bangor, Maine, USA; they were successfully separated, and all 4 lived to be released, on that day, to reunite with their mother.<ref name=BangorDailyNews-20170522> {{cite news |url= http://actoutwithaislinn.bangordailynews.com/2017/05/22/recreation/four-baby-squirrels-with-tails-tangled-together-rescued-by-bangor-men/ |author= Aislinn Sarnacki |date= 22 May 2017 |newspaper= Bangor Daily News |title= Four baby squirrels with tails tangled together rescued by Bangor men }} </ref>
* In May 2016, a tangle of 5 baby squirrels was discovered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The 5 were successfully separated.<ref name=CBC-20160523> {{cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/squirrels-rescued-after-tails-become-tangled-1.3596054 |title= 5 tangled squirrels rescued by Winnipeg man |date= 23 May 2016 |author= CBC News |publisher= CBC }} </ref>
* On 29 April 2016, a tangle of 3 juvenile squirrels was discovered in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, USA. They were successfully untangled.<ref name=CBS2-20160505> {{cite news |url= https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2016/05/05/watch-woman-helps-three-squirrels-tangled-by-their-tails/ |title= WATCH: Woman Helps Three Squirrels Tangled By Their Tails |publisher= CBS 2 Pittsburgh |date= 5 May 2016 }} </ref>
* In November 2014, a tangle of 3 squirrels was discovered in Maryland, USA; glued together by tree sap.<ref name=H2P-AngieBarnes-MA2014> {{cite web |url= https://i.honesttopaws.com/squirrels-stuck-by-their-tails |title= Man Finds Real Life ‘Rat King’ In His Yard When These Squirrels Get Their Tails Tangled |author= Angie Barnes |publisher= Honest to Paws }} </ref>
* On 26 August 2013, a tangle of 5 baby squirrels was discovered in Michigan City, Indiana, USA. The 5 were almost euthanized after the failure of initial attempts to separate them. They were successfully untangled, and returned to their mother the next day.<ref name=NWI-20130828> {{cite news |url= https://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/laporte/michigan-city/baby-squirrels-rescued-after-tails-tangled-tied/article_915b47c7-f2fe-562e-8414-fcc5a1db3594.html |title= Baby squirrels rescued after tails' tangled, tied |author= Stan Maddux |date= 28 August 2013 |newspaper= NWI Times |location= Munster, Indiana, USA }} </ref>
* In June 2013, a tangle of 6 squirrels was discovered in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were tangled and glued together by tree sap. The 6 were successfully separated alive.<ref name=HuffPostCAN-20130613/><ref name=AmusingPlanet-20180215> {{cite web |url= https://www.amusingplanet.com/2018/02/rat-kings-mysterious-conjoined-creature.html |title= Rat King: The Mysterious Conjoined Creature |date= 15 February 2018 |author= Kaushik Patowary |publisher= Amusing Planet }} </ref><ref name=Inquisitr-20130613> {{cite news |url= https://www.inquisitr.com/700072/squirrel-king/ |title= Handling A Squirrel King Situation |author= Emma Flint |date= 13 June 2013 |publisher= The Inquisitr }} </ref>
* In July 1997, a tangle of 5 squirrels was discovered in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. They had been tangled and glued together by tree sap. The squirrels were successfully separated.<ref name=ISBN9781405384568-pp418/>
* In 1991, a tangle of 5 squirrels was discovered in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. They had been tangled and glued together by tree sap. The squirrels were successfully separated. Of the 5, 2 were albino squirrels.<ref name=ISBN9781405384568-pp418/>
* In September 1989, a tangle of 4 squirrels was discovered in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. They were severely injured and had to be euthanized.<ref name=ISBN9781405384568-pp418> {{cite book |title= The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena |authors= Bob Rickard, John Michell |year= 2007 |publisher= Penguin |isbn= 9781405384568 |page= 418 }} <!-- |page-url= https://books.google.ca/books/content?id=7MNmd9wup0QC&pg=RA1-PA118&img=1&zoom=3&hl=en&sig=ACfU3U0Bbc71RLFY75aoFitsbZUxbxEKhw --> </ref>

==Unnatural incidents==
There have been incidents of animal cruelty or taxidermic artwork, where humans tied the tails of squirrels together, making something resembling the natural squirrel king.

===Incidents of animal cruelty===
{{listdev}}

* On 19 September 2019, 4 squirrels were found knotted together and tied up, on railroad tracks in Berlin, Connecticut, USA. They survived to be separated, but needed some amputation. In order to tie them up, the person who performed the incident had to break their tails.<ref name=Fox-20190922> {{cite news |url= https://www.foxnews.com/science/connecticut-baby-squirrels-tails-braided-animal-abuse |title= Baby squirrels found on Connecticut train tracks with tails 'braided' together in suspected animal abuse |author= Stephen Sorace |date= 22 September 2019 |publisher= Fox News }} </ref><ref name=CNN-20190923> {{cite news |url= https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/23/us/baby-squirrels-tails-braided-trnd/index.html |title= Four baby squirrels were found with their tails braided together. Vets think it could be animal abuse |author= Scottie Andrew |publisher= CNN |date= 23 September 2019 }} </ref>

===Hoaxes and taxidermic artwork===
{{listdev}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web |url= https://www.skedaddlewildlife.com/blog/squirrels-tails-stuck-together/ |title= Squirrels Tails Stuck Together and This Is Not the First Case |date= 20 June 2019 |author= Marcus Mueller |publisher= Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control }}

==External links==
* {{cite episode |title= {{youtube|NBbgbB_7N94|Baby Squirrels Found Tangled Together By Their Tails}} |series= Wochit News |author= Wochit |airdate= 17 September 2018 }}
* {{cite episode |title= {{youtube|vDbs-0b8zAU|Squirrel King in Bangor, ME}} |series= A Day |author= Andrew Day |airdate= 21 May 2017 }}
* {{cite episode |title= {{dailymotion|x111f4i|Six Squirrels Get Tails Stuck Together}} |series= Geo Beats |date= 18 June 2013 }}

[[Category: Squirrels]]

{{rodent-stub}}
{{pathology-stub}}
{{vet-stub}}

Revision as of 23:08, 8 April 2020

A squirrel king is a bunch of squirrels whose tails have tangled together, making them unable to self-separate.[1] It is similar to a phenomenon recorded in rats, the rat king, of rats with tails tangled together.[2] The squirrels that become tangled are nest-mates (ie. siblings), whose tails become knotted together. It may occur with the assistance of the nesting materials, also becoming part of the knot, as a sort of binder. Or, tree sap may glue the tangled tails together. If the squirrels are not separated, they will invariably die, making this a lethal condition.[3][4] Unlike the rat king, the squirrel king is not found in medieval European literature.[5]

List of documented incidents

This is a list of naturally occurring incidents.

  • On 19 September 2019, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Beacon Falls, Massachusetts, USA. They were successfully separated, however, part of one tail needed to be amputated.[6]
  • In May 2019, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Stockton on Tees, County Durham, England, UK. They were successfully separated.[7]
  • In May 2019, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England, UK. They were successfully separated.[8]
  • On 23 September 2018, a tangle of 3 squirrels was discovered in Boulder, Colorado, USA. They were successfully untangled.[9]
  • In mid-September 2018, a tangle of 4 baby squirrels was discovered in Loveland, Colorado, USA. They were successfully separated at the Larimer Humane Society.[10]
  • In September 2018, a tangle of 5 squirrels was discovered in Wisconsin, USA. They were successfully untangled.[1]
  • In summer 2018, a tangle of 4 juvenile squirrels was discovered in Nova Scotia, Canada. By the time they were discovered, 3 had already died. To separate them, the tail of the remaining survivor had to be amputated.[11]
  • In mid-May 2018, a tangle of 6 eight-week-old squirrels was discovered in Elkhorn, Nebraska, USA; they were successfully untangled, and all 6 lived.[12]
  • On 21 May 2017, a tangle of 4 juvenile squirrels was discovered in Bangor, Maine, USA; they were successfully separated, and all 4 lived to be released, on that day, to reunite with their mother.[13]
  • In May 2016, a tangle of 5 baby squirrels was discovered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The 5 were successfully separated.[14]
  • On 29 April 2016, a tangle of 3 juvenile squirrels was discovered in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, USA. They were successfully untangled.[15]
  • In November 2014, a tangle of 3 squirrels was discovered in Maryland, USA; glued together by tree sap.[16]
  • On 26 August 2013, a tangle of 5 baby squirrels was discovered in Michigan City, Indiana, USA. The 5 were almost euthanized after the failure of initial attempts to separate them. They were successfully untangled, and returned to their mother the next day.[17]
  • In June 2013, a tangle of 6 squirrels was discovered in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. They were tangled and glued together by tree sap. The 6 were successfully separated alive.[4][18][19]
  • In July 1997, a tangle of 5 squirrels was discovered in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. They had been tangled and glued together by tree sap. The squirrels were successfully separated.[5]
  • In 1991, a tangle of 5 squirrels was discovered in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. They had been tangled and glued together by tree sap. The squirrels were successfully separated. Of the 5, 2 were albino squirrels.[5]
  • In September 1989, a tangle of 4 squirrels was discovered in Easton, Pennsylvania, USA. They were severely injured and had to be euthanized.[5]

Unnatural incidents

There have been incidents of animal cruelty or taxidermic artwork, where humans tied the tails of squirrels together, making something resembling the natural squirrel king.

Incidents of animal cruelty

  • On 19 September 2019, 4 squirrels were found knotted together and tied up, on railroad tracks in Berlin, Connecticut, USA. They survived to be separated, but needed some amputation. In order to tie them up, the person who performed the incident had to break their tails.[20][21]

Hoaxes and taxidermic artwork

References

  1. ^ a b Katherine Hignett (17 September 2018). "Squirrel King: Five Creatures Tied Together by Their Own Tails Discovered in Wisconsin". Newsweek.
  2. ^ Lucas Reilly (24 October 2017). "An (Almost) Comprehensive History of Rat Kings". Mental Floss.
  3. ^ Jaime Allen (21 September 2018). "What a Tangled Web a Few Squirrels' Tails Can Weave". ? How Stuff Works. InfoSpace Holdings.
  4. ^ a b "Tangled Squirrels Rescued By Regina Animal Clinic (PHOTOS)". The Huffington Post Canada. 13 June 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d The Rough Guide to Unexplained Phenomena. Penguin. 2007. p. 418. ISBN 9781405384568. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authors= ignored (help)
  6. ^ "Baby Squirrels Found With Tails Tied Together: Animal Hospital". NBC 10 Boston. 20 September 2019.
  7. ^ Leanne Plumtree (10 May 2019). "Baby squirrels found in tall tail tangle". RSPCA News. Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (England and Wales).
  8. ^ Carolyn McGinn (13 May 2019). "A member of the public came to the aid of the stuck squirrels". Vets-Now.com.
  9. ^ Mitchell Byars (25 September 2018). "Boulder police rescue trio of squirrels with tangled tails". The Denver Post.
  10. ^ Shawn Patrick (19 September 2018). "Four Squirrels Got Their Tails Tangled in Colorado". Y96.9 iHeart Radio.
  11. ^ "Eagle Has Flown". Hope for Wildlife. Season 8. Episode 8. 25 January 2019.
  12. ^ Michael O’Connor (18 May 2018). "How a wildlife expert rescued 6 baby squirrels in Elkhorn whose tails were knotted together". Omaha World-Herald.
  13. ^ Aislinn Sarnacki (22 May 2017). "Four baby squirrels with tails tangled together rescued by Bangor men". Bangor Daily News.
  14. ^ CBC News (23 May 2016). "5 tangled squirrels rescued by Winnipeg man". CBC.
  15. ^ "WATCH: Woman Helps Three Squirrels Tangled By Their Tails". CBS 2 Pittsburgh. 5 May 2016.
  16. ^ Angie Barnes. "Man Finds Real Life 'Rat King' In His Yard When These Squirrels Get Their Tails Tangled". Honest to Paws.
  17. ^ Stan Maddux (28 August 2013). "Baby squirrels rescued after tails' tangled, tied". NWI Times. Munster, Indiana, USA.
  18. ^ Kaushik Patowary (15 February 2018). "Rat King: The Mysterious Conjoined Creature". Amusing Planet.
  19. ^ Emma Flint (13 June 2013). "Handling A Squirrel King Situation". The Inquisitr.
  20. ^ Stephen Sorace (22 September 2019). "Baby squirrels found on Connecticut train tracks with tails 'braided' together in suspected animal abuse". Fox News.
  21. ^ Scottie Andrew (23 September 2019). "Four baby squirrels were found with their tails braided together. Vets think it could be animal abuse". CNN.

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