Data from: Acrobatic squirrels learn to leap and land on tree branches without falling

Arboreal animals often leap through complex canopies to travel and avoid
predators. Their success at making split-second potentially
life-threatening decisions of biomechanical capability depends on skillful
use of acrobatic maneuvers and learning from past efforts. Here, we found
that free-ranging fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) leaping across novel,
simulated branches decided where to launch by balancing a trade-off
between gap distance and branch-bending compliance. Squirrels quickly
learned to modify impulse generation upon repeated leaps from novel,
compliant beams. A repertoire of agile landing maneuvers enabled targeted
leaping without falling. Unanticipated adaptive landing and leaping
“parkour” behavior revealed an innovative solution for, particularly
challenging leaps. Squirrels deciding and learning how to launch and land
demonstrate the synergistic roles of biomechanics and cognition in robust
gap crossing strategies.