Why do squirrels raise tails while squeaking?

Cattle raise their tails while excreting. But they don't raise tails while 'mooing'. Some birds too raise tails when they 'call'. Squirrels bend their tails while squeaking. This squirrel fellow when he saw me, started squeaking all of a sudden. I wonder if it was warning me when cats are around (there is a family that patrols in the garden - neighbour's), like langurs from treetops give calls when they spot a predator in forests. Sometimes this fellow does this - wonder if he gets irritated at my sight! Look at him here, mouth open and squeaking on my Polyalthea longifolia branch.

On the silent mode, tail down now, mouth probably ready to squeak!

Lovely pictures, Dinu. The squirrels here shake their bushy tails and stamp their little feet, and squeak as well, when they see any kind of threat to their safety or their food supply. I think they do it to make themselves look more formidable to their enemies.

Their squeaks are very shrill. Perhaps their vibrating frequency also has something to do with formidability! At least to the human ear.

He probably sees you as a competitor. Maybe you are unknowingly digging up his stash of goodies. Shame on you. LOL
I love it in the winter when the deciduous trees lose their leaves and you can see all the nests in the trees the squirrels have made. Some are pretty extravagant others just slapped together.
We have an owl that lives across the street in the woods. I think he intimidates them also as they make a lot of noise sometimes and I can see them jumping from tree to tree. Also, the tail flicking could be sending their scent glands into action. Most animals have some sort of anal gland that marks their territory.

Ah, Windy.
They don't make nests in the open. They want to be out of reach of cats and birds. As I said in my other thread, a family has made home inside my tiled roof. There is also a portico with tiles and there also a family seems to live, collecting all the rags and fibres for warmth. I don't know if it stores food in their houses.

I did not know about the anal gland emanating scents. But I have heard some animals like dogs and cats marking territory by instinct with urine.

The squirrels here flick their tails and squeak when they see any human coming, but they really get upset if the neighbor's cat is out and around. Of course, I get upset when she is out and around also as she tries to get the birds I feed. I've never met a cat I didn't like until now.

Love squirrels.We have some flying squirrels.I have hand raised squirrels that fell out of a nest.
Try this---the next time you see the squirrel squeaking and shaking his tail,do the same thing.You maybe starting an open line of communication.I talk to all the animals.I am a nurse with a DR.Dolittle complex.
HD

They are very frightened at the slightest movement of humans, though we do no harm. The common crow is its great enemy. The squirrels hardly get anywhere near to befriend humans in this area. By nature they are very defensive. They run and climb up to escape and hide behind treetrunks or branches. I tried to feed water by keeping a bowl and it would come down at set times each day, once in the morning, afternoon and evening. It would wait for me to be at a safe distance and then climb down a pipe to sip its dose. When I move, even a slight hand or feet movement would scare him. Now there is a different generation and I would think it is using the water I keep in my bird bath.

When my brother was about 10 he was walking home from his friends house. A squirrel came up to him and acted really friendly. Being a kid, he picked it up. He clawed his arms up and down pretty badly.
No matter how friendly a wild creature appears to be, never try to handle it. My brother learned the hard way.
Squirrels come into our fenced in yard occasionally when the dogs are not around. They are fun to watch, especially the babies.
Crows are probably their enemy because they rob the eggs out of the nest before they hatch. I hear squabbles all the time from squirrels trying to get into the bird nests.
I try not to have much to do with the squirrels as they do pretty much damage to the birdfeeders I put out.

If you put safflower seed in your bird feeders, the squirrels will leave it alone. I only use regular birdseed in the feeders that hang under the eaves because the squirrels can't reach those. There is also squirrel repellant that looks like cayenne pepper that you can mix in with your bird seed. It doesn't bother the birds, but it does keep the squirrels at bay. I feed the squirrels out in the back of our yard, so they certainly are not going without. When you plant bulbs, put a daffodil bulb in each hole and the squirrels won't dig them up.

Dinu, you'll have to come visit our squirrels. They are more relaxed than your. Our grey tree squirrels will bark, squeal and wave their tails at each other as competitors, or to announce a human, cat or dog in their territory. When the hawk is about, they plaster themselves to the tree trunk and do not move.
We feed the squirrels on our deck as they do a good job keeping the city pigeons away. The squirrles appear when we open the drapes in the morning. They will sit on the railing and wave their tails at me to get my attention. If I am too busy and do not notice, they will come up to the glass door and knock. They will readily take a nut from my hand, or my husband's hand and do not run when we are out on the deck watering the plants. My cats like to chatter with them through the screen.

GM,
I hope I get a chance to do that! It must be such a pleasure feeding them off the hand. The monkeys can do pick food off the hand here but only with the ones they are much aquainted with. Our squirrels are of the very very restless type. They seem to be always on guard, always ready to run away. But not from mynas, crows (it is now trusting them).