Do squirrels really "throw" objects?

My brother and a couple friends constantly piss of the squirrels so now the squirrels constantly throw acorns at them. They don’t attack anyone else. One time a squirrel was on the telephone wire and my brother was about to peck him with a rock the squirrel ran in the trees came back to the wire and whipped him with an acorn.

According to one of my friends, squirrels most certainly do throw objects as humans would. He witnessed his friend almost get beamed in the head with an object a squirrel threw at him. It literally leaped into the air and threw a nut at his face because he got too close.

Plus, I’ve seen squirrels do some other crazy stuff. I had to observe one for an hour for lab once and let me tell you, those guys are pretty smart.

My boys were climbing a tree a couple of days ago and saw a squirrel grabbing acorns and throwing them on the car parked below the tree.

I know it’s a matter of semantics, but I doubt very much that squirrels throw objects. This requires muscle and bone structure that they do not have- as far as I know, primates are the only mammals that throw things. They may purposely drop objects to repel invaders; I don’t have any sources off the bat that say that they do, but some other arboreal animals do defend themselves this way.

@crisw they don’t ‘throw’ items the same way we do. They can propel items with amazing accuracy and some force. If people want to call it throwing, it works for me.

I had one that sat on my roof and threw walnuts at my dogs. Crossman cured that, and he made a great lunch.

Here is my personal experience with squirrel throwing things. It’s a true story.

So, one time, my friends and I went to play some golf at a nearby par 3 course. I hit the ball and it ricocheted off a tree and landed in the grassy area below the tree. When I went to hit the ball again, I felt something hit my head. It was a pine cone. I looked up and I saw this squirrel making a squeaky noise, like it was saying “Don’t mess with me” or something.

I thought it was going to throw another pine cone at me and it did. It missed this time. I hurriedly hit the ball, just eager to leave the squirrel.

Needless to say, the ball flew off at a weird angle.

They can throw things. I’ve seen tamed squirrels and wild squirrels doing it.

I have a large pecan tree in my back yard. Every fall, when I start picking up the pecans that have fallen from the tree, local squirrels who find my pecans delectable, “throw” pecans down at me to deter me from my task. I have been hit many, many, times. Sometimes, when I forget to put on a cap or hat, I come in from my pecan gathering and have blood trickling down my face and neck from minor injuries inflicted by the pointed ends of pecans striking my uncovered head. Squirrels are not the cute, cuddly, creatures some people think they are. They are very territorial and aggressive. They’ve even intimidated my dog…a large Chow-Labrador Retriever mix….by throwing pecans at him.

Yeah, supposedly they do. I still think they are cuties. :)

Sometimes when I sit halfway in my shed which is under a very large walnut tree a few walnuts begin to rain down on the shed roof and me while no walnuts are falling elsewhere. When I get out from under and look up I often see a squirrel high up in the tree. I accuse him of the bombing. They also make a “screeching” noise when they feel imposed upon. I have seen one of them “throw” but it is done like a basketball “chest pass” and not as a baseball pitcher would do.

Why do squirrels drop acorns on ME? I sit out on my deck and a squirrel goes directly above me and starts dropping acorns on me. So I move to the other side of the deck and he goes to a different branch above me and continues dropping directly on me. WHY DOES HE DO THIS? I ain’t never done nothin’ to him.