Red squirrel
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| Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Red Squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, is the common European tree squirrel. It is still common on the European continent and across Asia but has been widely replaced by the Grey Squirrel in Great Britain. They are small tree-dwelling omnivores.
Appearance and Physiology
Red Squirrels have a typical body length of 19-23 cm and mass of 250-340g when fully grown (compare with the 25-30cm, 400-800g of the Grey squirrel), and have a tail which can be up to 20 cm long itself, almost as long as the body. It is thought that this helps the squirrel to balance and steer when jumping from tree to tree and running along branches and keep the animal warm during sleep.
The coat of the red squirrel varies in colour with time of year and location. There are several different coat colour morphs ranging from black to red. Although only red coats are found in Great Britain, in other parts of Europe and Asia the different colorations co-exist within populations. Red Squirrels shed their coats twice a year, switching from a thinner summer coat to a thicker, darker winter coat with noticably larger ear-tufts (A prominent distinguishing feature of this species) in August-November. A lighter, redder overall coat colour, along with the larger ear-tufts helps to distinguish the European Red squirrel from either the Grey squirrel or the American Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus.
The red squirrel, like most tree squirrels, has sharp, curved claws to enable the climbing of trees, even when branches are overhanging.
Their lifespan is about 2-3 years.
Habitat and Lifestyle
Native to usually coniferous, though often broadleaved woodlands, the tree squirrel makes a nest, known as a drey in a branch-fork of a conifer by laying down twigs to make a domed structure about 25-30cm in diameter, then lining it with moss, leaves, grass and bark. Hollows and woodpecker's nests are also used. Although solitary animals, shy and reluctant to share food with others, outside of the breeding season and particularly in winter multiple red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. They are not territorial.
Red squirrels eat mostly the seeds of trees, neatly stripping conifer cones to get at the seeds within. Fungi, birds' eggs, berries and young shoots are also eaten. Often the bark of trees is removed to allow access to sap. Excess food is put into caches, either buried or in nooks or holes in trees and eaten when food is scarce.
The active period for the red squirrel is in the morning and late afternoon-evening. They often rest in their nests in the middle of the day, avoiding the heat and the high visibility to birds of prey that are dangers during these hours. During the winter, this mid-day rest is often much more brief, or absent entirely, although harsh weather may cause the animal to stay in its nest for up to days at a time.
Breeding
Breeding may not occur if food supplies are low. This is a worry to conservationists in the UK, as competition with grey squirrels is thought to be significantly affecting the amount of food available there. Mating can occur in Late Winter (February-March) and Summer (June-July, and up to two litters a year per female are possible. Each litter usually contains 4-8 young, although 3 is usual. Gestation is about 38-39 days. The young are looked after by the mother alone, and are born helpless, blind and deaf. Their eyes open after 3-4 weeks, weaning occurs at 7-10 weeks, during which time the young leave the nest on their own to find food, but still suckle from their mother.
During mating, males detect females that are in estrous, and chase them through the trees. Usually, many males will end up chasing a single female in this manner, until one is selected and allowed to mate with her.
Conservation
Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the red squirrel has drastically reduced in numbers in the UK. Under 200,000 individuals are thought to be left. This is likely due to the introduction of the Grey squirrel from North America, although the destruction of its native woodland habitat is also blamed.