Red squirrel

The red squirrel lives in many woods.

It has a long tail. The tail helps it jump between trees. It also helps the squirrel stay warm.

This squirrel has red fur. Its belly is white. The fur changes with the seasons. It grows thicker in the winter. It also grows ear tufts.

Red squirrels love to eat. They eat seeds from tree cones. They also like nuts and berries. They even eat tree sap.

Sometimes, squirrels hide their food. They put it in holes in trees. They eat it when food is hard to find. This helps them stay fed.

These squirrels build nests in branches. They use twigs and moss. The nest is a cozy home.

The red squirrel is a small animal that lives in trees.

These squirrels are found all across Eurasia. They like to live in pine woods or leafy woods.

Red squirrels have many different fur colors. Some are red, but others can be black. Their bellies are always a white-cream color.

They shed their fur twice every year. In the winter, they grow a thicker coat. They also grow tufts of hair on their ears. Their long tails help them balance when they jump.

These squirrels eat many things. They like seeds from cones, nuts, and berries. They also eat tree sap and young shoots. Sometimes they hide extra food in holes in trees. They call these food piles middens.

Red squirrels are shy and like to be alone. However, they might share a nest in winter to stay warm. Mothers look after their young kits. Kits are born blind and deaf. They grow teeth and can eat solid food after 40 days.

The red squirrel is a small, tree-living animal found across Eurasia.

These squirrels are members of the genus Sciurus. They are mostly herbivorous, which means they eat plants. They live in many different types of forests. Some like the pine woods of northern Europe and Siberia. Others prefer leafy woods in southern Europe. These trees provide a good source of food all year.

Red squirrels have a very interesting way of changing. They shed their fur twice every year. Between August and November, they grow a thicker winter coat. This coat is darker and has large tufts of hair on their ears. Their fur color can change based on where they live. Some have red coats, while others have black fur. Their undersides are always a white-cream color.

Their long tails help them balance when jumping between branches. The tail also helps them stay warm while they sleep.

Scientists have studied these squirrels for a long time. Linnaeus described the species in 1758. There are many different types, called subspecies, of red squirrels. A study from 1971 recognized 16 of these types. Today, there are 23 recognized subspecies. Some groups are so different they are now seen as their own species. For example, the Calabrian black squirrel was named a separate species in 2017.

Red squirrels have a busy life of foraging and feeding. They spend 60% to 80% of their active time looking for food. They eat seeds from cones, nuts like hazelnuts, and berries. They even eat tree sap and young shoots. Sometimes they hide extra food in holes or underground. These food piles are called middens.

They also build nests called dreys out of twigs and moss. A drey is a domed structure built in a branch-fork. They may also use holes left by woodpeckers.

Red squirrels face many hard jobs in the wild. In the British Isles and Italy, their numbers have gone down. This is because the eastern grey squirrel was brought from North America. Grey squirrels can carry a disease called squirrel parapoxvirus. This virus can kill red squirrels. Grey squirrels are also better at digesting acorns.

Red squirrels also have to watch for predators like owls and foxes. If they survive their first winter, they can live for 3 years. Some can even reach 7 years of age.

The red squirrel, known scientifically as *Sciurus vulgaris*, is an arboreal rodent found throughout Eurasia.

As a primarily herbivorous species, it plays a vital role in forest ecosystems. These squirrels are members of the genus *Sciurus*. They are highly adapted to life in the trees, which is what the term arboreal means. Their presence is a key indicator of forest health in many parts of the world.

A red squirrel's body is built for movement and survival. They have a typical head-and-body length of 20 to 30 cm. Their tails are often 30 to 60 cm long.

This long tail is essential for balance. It helps them steer while jumping between branches. The tail also provides warmth during sleep. Their coat color varies by location and season. They have several coat color morphs, ranging from red to black. Regardless of the top color, the underside is always white-cream. Between August and November, they undergo a seasonal change. They shed their thin summer coat for a thicker winter coat. This winter coat features prominent ear-tufts.

Taxonomy, the science of naming and classifying organisms, shows great variety in this species. There have been over 40 described subspecies of the red squirrel. A significant study in 1971 recognized 16 subspecies. Currently, scientists recognize 23 distinct subspecies.

Some subspecies are so unique they are elevated to full species status. For example, *S. v. meridionalis* became the Calabrian black squirrel in 2017. Other groups, like *S. v. alpinus*, include several former subspecies. Genetic studies continue to refine how we classify these animals. Linnaeus first described the species in 1758.

Red squirrels live in many different forest types. They occupy boreal, coniferous woods in northern Europe and Siberia. In these areas, they prefer Scots pine, Norway spruce, and Siberian pine. In western and southern Europe, they inhabit broad-leaved woods. These woods provide a mixture of trees and shrubs. This variety offers a better year-round food source.

To sleep, they build a drey. A drey is a nest made of twigs in a branch-fork. They line these domed structures with moss, leaves, grass, and bark. They may also use tree hollows or old woodpecker holes.

Foraging is a massive part of a squirrel's daily life. They spend between 60% and 80% of their active period feeding. Their diet includes tree seeds, fungi, nuts, berries, and vegetables. They also eat tree sap and young shoots.

They are especially fond of hazelnuts, beech, chestnuts, and acorns. To prepare for lean times, they create caches called middens. These are piles of extra food buried or hidden in tree nooks. While they remember these spots better than chance, their spatial memory is less accurate than that of grey squirrels.

Reproduction follows specific seasonal patterns. Mating occurs in late winter during February and March, and again in summer. A single female can produce up to two litters per year. Each litter averages three kits.

The gestation period, or the time the young develop inside the mother, is 38 to 39 days. Kits are born helpless, blind, and deaf. They weigh only 10 to 15g at birth. By 42 days, they have developed all their teeth. They typically leave the nest at 40 days but continue suckling until 8 to 10 weeks.

Survival in the wild is challenging due to many factors. Red squirrels face predators like pine martens, wildcats, and owls.

Humans also impact their numbers through habitat loss and road accidents. A major threat is the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel from North America. Grey squirrels can carry squirrel parapoxvirus. This disease does not harm the greys but can kill red squirrels. In Formby, England, populations declined by 80% due to this virus. Furthermore, grey squirrels are better at digesting acorns. This competition has caused red squirrel numbers to fall below 160,000 in the UK. Most of these remaining individuals live in Scotland.

Conservation efforts are working to stabilize these populations. In Scotland, numbers are beginning to stabilize due to active management. The red squirrel is protected under the Bern Convention in most of Europe. It is listed as "least concern" on the IUCN Red List globally. However, local populations remain fragile. In the UK, the Isle of Wight serves as a large haven. Groups like the Wight Squirrel Project work to protect them. In New Zealand, the red squirrel is classified as a prohibited new organism to protect native ecosystems.