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Red squirrel

From Tilcayo Cats, the lean encyclopaedia by Tilcayo Knowledge Systems

The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris), also called the Eurasian red squirrel, is a small tree-dwelling rodent of the squirrel family. In Great Britain it is endangered, mainly because grey squirrels were introduced from North America between 1876 and 1929, and also because of habitat loss.[1]

Description

Adult red squirrels have a head and body length of about 18 to 20 cm, with a tail of about 17.5 cm, and weigh up to 350 g.[2] Their fur ranges from bright ginger through red to dark brown, and can look grey-tinged in winter. They grow ear tufts that become larger in mid-winter and disappear by summer.[3] Double-jointed ankles let their feet face forwards or backwards when climbing, and the large, bushy tail helps them balance.[4]

Behaviour and ecology

Red squirrels live in conifer forests and broad-leaved woodland, and spend about three-quarters of their active time in trees and shrubs.[5] They do not hibernate.[6] Their main foods are tree seeds such as hazelnuts and conifer cones, along with tree flowers, shoots and fungi, and occasionally bird eggs.[7] They bury tree seeds over a wide area to eat in winter, but sometimes forget where they hid them.[8] They build nests called dreys from twigs in a tree fork.[9]

Red squirrels can live for up to six years in the wild.[10] They breed from mid-winter to summer and have two or three young a year, which are weaned at around ten weeks.[11] Their main predators include pine martens, stoats, goshawks, dogs, cats and foxes.[12]

Conservation status

Different lists give the red squirrel different statuses, because they cover different areas:

  • Global: Least Concern, according to the Mammal Society's species page.[13]
  • Great Britain (Mammal Society Red List, 2020): Endangered across Great Britain, and in England and Wales; Near Threatened in Scotland.[13] This first Red List of Britain's mammals, published in July 2020, placed the red squirrel in the second most urgent category, Endangered.[14]

Separately from these risk assessments, red squirrels are protected by law in Great Britain: they may not be intentionally trapped, killed or kept, nor their dreys disturbed, except under licence from Natural England, Natural Resources Wales or NatureScot.[15]

Threats

According to the Mammal Society, grey squirrels find food more efficiently than red squirrels and outcompete them for food and habitat.[16] Grey squirrels also carry the squirrel pox virus, which they are immune to but which is fatal for red squirrels.[17] Habitat loss has also played a part in the decline.[1]

Conservation

Where pine martens have been reintroduced, grey squirrel numbers have fallen, because grey squirrels are less wary of pine martens and are caught more easily than red squirrels.[18] As grey squirrels are managed, red squirrels can be reintroduced to boost their numbers.[19] Other methods being researched include fertility control for grey squirrels[20] and a squirrel pox vaccine.[21]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Red squirrels are endangered due to the human-caused introduction of the American grey squirrel between 1876-1929, as well as habitat loss.
  2. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Size: 18-20cm with a 17.5cm tail. … adults can weigh up to 350g.
  3. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Covered by a fur which can be bright ginger through to red and dark brown, or even black tinged with grey in winter, red squirrels sport ear tufts which become larger in mid-winter and disappear by the summer
  4. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. with a large, bushy tail that helps them balance, and double-jointed ankles that allow their feet to face either forwards or backwards when climbing.
  5. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Red squirrels favour conifer forests and broad-leaved woodland, spending about three-quarters of their active time above ground in trees and shrubs.
  6. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. No, neither red nor grey squirrels hibernate.
  7. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Their main food sources are tree seeds, such as hazelnuts or conifer cones, but they also eat tree flowers and shoots, mushrooms, fungi from underneath tree bark, and occasionally bird eggs.
  8. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Red squirrels bury food such as tree seeds underground over a wide area to eat during winter periods, but they sometimes forget every seed they've hidden.
  9. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. They build squirrel nests, called dreys, which are constructed from twigs in a tree fork
  10. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Red squirrels can live up to 6 years in the wild.
  11. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Breed from mid-winter to summer, having 2-3 kits a year, which are weaned at 10 weeks.
  12. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Red squirrels' main predators include pine martens, stoats, goshawks, dogs, cats, and foxes.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. GB: Endangered England: Endangered Scotland: Near Threatened Wales: Endangered Global Least Concern
  14. ↑ Gill, Victoria (30 July 2020). "Extinction: Quarter of UK mammals 'under threat'". BBC News. Retrieved 20 October 2026. the red squirrel and the water vole - have been put in the second most urgent category of Endangered
  15. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. Red squirrels are protected by law, and may not be intentionally trapped, killed or kept, or have their dreys disturbed except under license from Natural England (NE) , Natural Resources Wales or NatureScot .
  16. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. The grey squirrel has better foraging efficiencies than reds, causing them to outcompete red squirrels for food and habitat.
  17. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. In addition, grey squirrels carry squirrel pox virus which they are immune to but is fatal for red squirrels.
  18. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. pine marten reintroductions have been shown to reduce grey squirrel numbers; grey squirrels, having not co-evolved with pine martens as a natural predator, are less fearful of them than red squirrels and thus more easily predated on.
  19. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. As grey squirrel management increases, red squirrel reintroductions can also take place to boost populations.
  20. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. alternative management methods are being researched, such as a fertility control method
  21. ↑ "Red squirrel". The Mammal Society. Retrieved 20 October 2026. a squirrel pox vaccine for both red and grey squirrels
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