Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

🐿 Red Squirrel Overview

• Scientific name: Sciurus vulgaris
• Common name: Red Squirrel
• Family: Sciuridae
• Size: Body length 19–23 cm; tail length 15–20 cm
• Weight: 250–350 grams

🌍 Distribution and Habitat

• Range: Widely distributed across Europe and northern Asia (Palearctic region).
• Found in coniferous, mixed, and broadleaf woodlands, parks, and even urban green spaces.
• Prefers coniferous forests in northern Europe (spruce, pine), but in southern areas also thrives in deciduous forests (oak, beech, hazel).

🍽 Diet

• Omnivorous:
  • Seeds and nuts (especially conifers: pine, spruce)
  • Fungi, buds, berries, fruits
  • Occasionally insects, bird eggs, and nestlings
  • In autumn, they cache food for winter.
• Red squirrels are important seed dispersers for forest regeneration.

🐿 Behavior and Ecology

• Diurnal: Most active during early morning and late afternoon.
• Arboreal: Excellent climbers, rarely descend to ground except to forage or travel.
• Build dreys (nests) high in trees — spherical, made from twigs, moss, and leaves.
• Solitary except during mating season or when raising young.

🔄 Life Cycle

• Breeding season: February to April, may have a second litter in summer.
• Gestation: ~38–40 days
• Litter size: 2–6 kits
• Lifespan: Usually 3–5 years in the wild, though some live up to 7 years.

⚠ Threats and Conservation

• In some areas, the red squirrel has suffered significant declines:
  • Competition with invasive Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) introduced from North America.
  • Habitat loss due to deforestation and fragmentation.
  • Squirrelpox virus: Harmless to greys but deadly to reds.
• Protected in many countries (e.g., under EU Habitats Directive and national laws).

🔎 Identification

• Fur color: Variable — reddish-brown most common, but can range from dark brown to almost black or even pale.
• Ears: Distinctive tufts of fur (especially prominent in winter).
• Tail: Long, bushy, helps with balance and warmth.
• Compared to grey squirrels: smaller, lighter, with more prominent ear tufts and a thinner build.

🧠 Interesting Facts

• Red squirrels can sense whether nuts are empty or spoiled by weighing them or shaking them.
• In winter, they often rely on their hidden food stores.
• Unlike grey squirrels, reds are better adapted to feeding on conifer seeds.

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