Red squirrel
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2021) |
Red squirrel | |
---|---|
Near Alverstone, Isle of Wight | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Rodentia |
Family: | Sciuridae |
Genus: | Sciurus |
Species: | S. vulgaris
|
Binomial name | |
Sciurus vulgaris | |
Subspecies[2] | |
23 recognized, see text | |
Red squirrel range |
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a
In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers have decreased drastically in recent years.
Description
The red squirrel has a typical head-and-body length of 19 to 23 cm (7+1⁄2 to 9 in), a tail length of 15 to 20 cm (6 to 8 in), and a mass of 250 to 340 g (9 to 12 oz). Males and females are the same size. The Eurasian red squirrel is somewhat smaller than the American
The long tail helps the squirrel to balance and steer when jumping from tree to tree and running along branches and may keep the animal warm during sleep.[7]
The red squirrel, like most tree squirrels, has sharp curved claws to help it to climb and descend broad tree trunks, thin branches, and even house walls. Its strong hind legs let it leap gaps between trees. The red squirrel also can swim.[8]
The coat of the red squirrel varies in colour with time of year and location. There are several coat colour morphs ranging from black to red. Red coats are most common in Great Britain; in other parts of Europe and Asia different coat colours coexist within populations, much like hair colour in some human populations. The underside of the squirrel is always white-cream in colour. The red squirrel sheds its coat twice a year, switching from a thinner summer coat to a thicker, darker winter coat with noticeably larger ear-tufts (a prominent distinguishing feature of this species) between August and November. A lighter, redder overall coat colour, along with the ear-tufts (in adults) and smaller size, distinguish the red squirrel from the eastern grey squirrel.[9][10] The red colour offers camouflage when seen against the bark of pine trees.[citation needed]
Distribution and habitat
Red squirrels occupy
Ecology and behaviour
The red squirrel is found in both
The red squirrel eats mostly the
Excess food is put into caches called "middens", either buried or in nooks or holes in trees, and eaten when food is scarce.[16] Although the red squirrel remembers where it created caches at a better-than-chance level, its spatial memory is substantially less accurate and durable than that of grey squirrels.[17]
Between 60% and 80% of its active period may be spent foraging and feeding.
No territories are claimed between the red squirrels, and the feeding areas of individuals overlap considerably.[citation needed]
Reproduction
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2022) |
Mating can occur in late winter during February and March and in summer between June and July. Up to two litters a year per female are possible. Each litter averages three young, called kits.[19] Gestation is about 38 to 39 days. The young are looked after by the mother alone and are born helpless, blind, and deaf. They weigh between 10 and 15 g. Their body is covered by hair at 21 days, their eyes and ears open after three to four weeks, and they develop all their teeth by 42 days. Juvenile red squirrels can eat solids around 40 days following birth and from that point can leave the nest on their own to find food; however, they still suckle from their mother until weaning occurs at 8 to 10 weeks.
During mating, males detect females that are in
Life expectancy
Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of 3 years. Individuals may reach 7 years of age, and 10 in captivity. Survival is positively related to the availability of autumn-winter tree seeds; on average, 75–85% of juveniles die during their first winter, and mortality is approximately 50% for winters following the first.[20]
Enemies and threats
Arboreal predators include small mammals such as the
The eastern grey squirrel and the red squirrel are not directly antagonistic, and violent conflict between these species is not a factor in the decline in red squirrel populations.[21] However, the eastern grey squirrel appears to be able to decrease the red squirrel population due to several reasons:
- The eastern grey squirrel carries a disease, the
- The eastern grey squirrel can better digest acorns, while the red squirrel cannot access the proteins and fats in acorns as easily.[24]
- When the red squirrel is put under pressure, it will not breed as often.
In the UK, due to the above circumstances, the population has today fallen to 160,000 red squirrels or fewer (120,000 of these are in Scotland).[25] Outside the UK and Ireland, the impact of competition from the eastern grey squirrel has been observed in Piedmont, Italy, where two pairs escaped from captivity in 1948. A significant drop in red squirrel populations in the area has been observed since 1970, and it is feared that the eastern grey squirrel may expand into the rest of Europe.
Conservation
The red squirrel is protected in most of Europe, as it is listed in Appendix III of the
Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the red squirrel has nevertheless drastically reduced in number in the United Kingdom; especially after the
In contrast, the red squirrel may present a threat if introduced to regions outside its native range. It is classed as a "prohibited new organism" under New Zealand's Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996 preventing it from being imported into the country.[28]
Projects
In January 1998, eradication of the non-native North American grey squirrel began on the North Wales island of Anglesey. This facilitated the natural recovery of the small remnant red squirrel population. It was followed by the successful reintroduction of the red squirrel into the pine stands of Newborough Forest.[29] Subsequent reintroductions into broadleaved woodland followed and today the island has the single largest red squirrel population in Wales. Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour is also populated exclusively by red rather than grey squirrels (approximately 200 individuals).
Mainland initiatives in southern Scotland and the north of England also rely upon grey squirrel control as the cornerstone of red squirrel conservation strategy. A local programme known as the "North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership", an element of the national
Other notable projects include red squirrel projects in the Greenfield Forest, including the buffer zones of Mallerstang, Garsdale and Widdale;[32] the Northumberland Kielder Forest Project; and within the National Trust reserve in Formby. These projects were originally part of the Save Our Squirrels campaign that aimed to protect red squirrels in the north of England, but now form part of a five-year Government-led partnership conservation project called "Red Squirrels Northern England"[33] to undertake grey squirrel control in areas important for red squirrels.
On the Isle of Wight, local volunteers are encouraged to record data on the existing red squirrel population, and to monitor it for the presence of invasive greys; as the red squirrel is still dominant on the island, these volunteers are also requested to cull any greys they find.[34] In order to protect existing populations, increasing amounts of legislation have been issued to prevent the further release and expansion of grey squirrel populations. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is an offense to release captured grey squirrels, indicating that any captured individuals must be culled.[35][36] Additional rules covered under the WCA's Schedules 5 and 6 include limitations on the keeping of red squirrels in captivity, and also prohibits the culling of red squirrels.[37]
Research undertaken in 2007 in the UK credits the
During October 2012, four male and one female red squirrel, on permanent loan from the
Historical, cultural and financial significance
"Ekorr'n satt i granen" (The Squirrel sat in the fir tree) is a well-known and appreciated children's song in Sweden. Text and lyrics by Alice Tegnér in 1892.
Charles Dennim, protagonist of Geoffrey Household's novel Watcher in the Shadows, is a zoologist who studies and writes about red squirrels.
In Norse mythology, Ratatoskr is a red squirrel who runs up and down with messages in the world tree, Yggdrasil, and spreads gossip. In particular, he carried messages between the unnamed eagle at the top of Yggdrasill and the wyrm Níðhöggr beneath its roots.
The red squirrel used to be widely hunted for its pelt. In Finland, squirrel pelts were used as currency in ancient times, before the introduction of coinage.[42] The expression "squirrel pelt" is still widely understood there to be a reference to money. It has been suggested that the trade in red squirrel fur, highly prized in the medieval period and intensively traded, may have been responsible for the leprosy epidemic in medieval Europe. Within Great Britain, widespread leprosy is found early in East Anglia, to which many of the squirrel furs were traded, and the strain is the same as that found in modern red squirrels on Brownsea Island.[43][44]
The red squirrel is the
Red squirrels are a common feature in English heraldry, where they are always depicted sitting up and often in the act of cracking a nut.[46]
Taxonomy
There have been over 40 described subspecies of the red squirrel, but the taxonomic status of some of these is uncertain. A study published in 1971 recognises 16 subspecies and has served as a basis for subsequent taxonomic work.[47][48] Although the validity of some subspecies is labelled with uncertainty because of the large variation in red squirrels even within a single region,[48] others are relatively distinctive and one of these, S. v. meridionalis of South Italy, was elevated to species status as the Calabrian black squirrel in 2017.[49] At present, there are 23 recognized subspecies of the red squirrel.[2] Genetic studies indicate that another, S. v. hoffmanni of Sierra Espuña in southeast Spain (below included in S. v. alpinus), deserves recognition as distinct.[50]
- S. v. alpinus. Desmarest, 1822. (synonyms: S. v. baeticus, hoffmanni, infuscatus, italicus, numantius and segurae)
- S. v. altaicus. Serebrennikov, 1928.
- S. v. anadyrensis. Ognev, 1929.
- S. v. arcticus. Trouessart, 1906. (synonym: S. v. jacutensis)
- S. v. balcanicus. Heinrich, 1936. (synonyms: S. v. istrandjae and rhodopensis)
- S. v. chiliensis. Sowerby, 1921.
- S. v. cinerea. Hermann, 1804.
- S. v. dulkeiti. Ognev, 1929.
- S. v. exalbidus. Pallas, 1778. (synonyms: S. v. argenteus and kalbinensis)
- S. v. fedjushini. Ognev, 1935.
- S. v. formosovi. Ognev, 1935.
- S. v. fuscoater. Altum, 1876. (synonyms: S. v. brunnea, gotthardi, graeca, nigrescens, russus and rutilans)
- S. v. fusconigricans. Dvigubsky, 1804
- S. v. leucourus. Kerr, 1792.
- S. v. lilaeus. Miller, 1907. (synonyms: S. v. ameliae and croaticus)
- S. v. mantchuricus. Thomas, 1909. (synonyms: S. v. coreae and coreanus)
- S. v. martensi. Matschie, 1901. (synonym: S. v. jenissejensis)
- S. v. ognevi. Migulin, 1928. (synonyms: S. v. bashkiricus, golzmajeri and uralensis)
- S. v. orientis. Hokkaidō).
- S. v. rupestris. Thomas, 1907
- S. v. ukrainicus. Migulin, 1928. (synonym: S. v. kessleri)
- S. v. varius. Gmelin, 1789.
- S. v. vulgaris. Linnaeus, 1758.[51] (synonyms: S. v. albonotatus, albus, carpathicus, europaeus, niger, rufus and typicus)
References
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- ^ "Scotland's red squirrel numbers stabilise". BBC News. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
- ^ Gill, Victoria (7 March 2018). "Red squirrel numbers boosted by predator". BBC News.
- ^ "Pine marten". the Vincent Wildlife Trust.
- ^ "Characteristics – British Red Squirrel". britishredsquirrel.org. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- ^ Red squirrel facts. RSST. Retrieved on 30 September 2013.
- ^ Two different squirrels: the facts Archived 1 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. scottishsquirrels.org.uk. Retrieved on 25 July 2013.
- ^ RSPB facts. Rspb.org.uk (24 January 2010). Retrieved on 25 July 2013.
- ^ "UK Red Squirrel Group – Red squirrel facts". Forestry.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 8 July 2017.
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- ^ Krauze-Gryz DAGNY, Gryz, JAKUB. 2015. A review of the diet of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in different types of habitats. Red squirrels: ecology, conservation & management in Europe. European Squirrel Initiative, Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire CV8 2LG, England, pp.39-50.
- ^ a b Forestry Commission – Red Squirrels Archived 28 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Forestry.gov.uk. Retrieved on 25 July 2013.
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Charlotte Smith reports on why Britain's islands could be the last stronghold of the red squirrel.
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- ^ "Red and grey squirrels – RSST". rsst.org.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
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- ^ The Wight Squirrel Project – Home. Wightsquirrels.co.uk. Retrieved on 25 July 2013.
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- ^ "Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 2003 – Schedule 2 Prohibited new organisms". New Zealand Government. Retrieved 26 January 2012.
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- ^ "Volunteers being sought to kill invasive grey squirrels". Isle of Wight News from OnTheWight. 27 February 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Grey squirrel control". The British Association for Shooting and Conservation. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
- ^ "Pest control on your property". GOV.UK. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
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External links
- ARKive: photographs and videos
- A partnership to save the red squirrel, between the Scottish Wildlife Trust, et al.
- WildlifeOnline: Natural History of Tree Squirrels
- Red squirrels make a comeback as culling of grey rivals brings results
- Acute Fatal Toxoplasmosis in Three Eurasian Red Squirrels
- Close up video of a red squirrel on YouTube
- A very close up video of a red squirrel eating on YouTube
- Squirrel eats hazelnut on YouTube