Eurasian Red Squirrel
The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a species of tree squirrel.
Description/ Size
The red squirrel has a typical head-and-body length of 19 to 23 cm a tail length of 15 to 20 cm and a mass of 250 to 340 g.It is not sexually dimorphic, as males and females are the same size. The red squirrel is slightly smaller than the eastern grey squirrel which has a head-and-body length of 25 to 30 cm (0.8 to 1 foot) and weighs between 400 and 800 g (14 oz to 1.8 lb). It is thought that 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.
Eating
Berries, nuts, and seeds
Behavior
The red squirrel is native to coniferous forest and is also found in temperate broadleaf woodlands. The 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 to 30 cm in diameter, then lining it with moss, leaves, grass and bark. Hollows and woodpeckers nests are also used. The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, multiple red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. Social organization is based on dominance hierarchies among and between sexes; although males are not necessarily dominant to females, the dominant animals tend to be larger and older than subordinate animals, and dominant males tend to have larger home ranges than subordinate males or females
