The Tail Is Mightier Than the Fang.

The article discusses research being done on the use of squirrels' tails as defense against rattlesnakes. It references a study by Aaron Rundus et al, published online in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences." Through a wire mesh, the researchers placed the rodents and rattlesnakes in adjoining cages that faced each other. The researchers used a robotic squirrel with a heatable waveable tail to confirm that a toasty tail was key to the defense.