eli5: How are squirrels able to survive a fall at terminal velocity?

Question

eli5: How are squirrels able to survive a fall at terminal velocity?

In: 6

Answer 1

Their terminal velocity is really low. Smaller creatures have a much more favorable drag to weight ratio. This is because mass goes up by the cube of size while surface area and therefore drag go up by the square. This results in a trend.

“You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes.” — J.B.S. Haldane

Answer 2

Their terminal velocity is really low. Smaller creatures have a much more favorable drag to weight ratio. This is because mass goes up by the cube of size while surface area and therefore drag go up by the square. This results in a trend.

“You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away. A rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes.” — J.B.S. Haldane