INTO THE WOODSA Comparison of Red and

Grey Squirrels

RED SQUIRREL GREY SQUIRRELHistory• First type of squirrel in

Britain• Came from Europe around

10,000 years ago• The Latin name is Sciurus

Vulgaris• They are in the group of

animals known as rodents

History• Introduced to England,

Scotland and Ireland from North America during Victorian times (1800’s).

• Population increased dramatically at the beginning of the 2,000’s.

• The Latin name is Sciurus Carolinensis

RED SQUIRREL GREY SQUIRRELDescription• Warm reddish-brown fur in

summer• Deep brown fur with grey in

the winter• Their belly is always cream• They have a bushy tail and ear

tufts• Their head and body length is

18-24cm• Their tail length is 14-20cm• Their weight is 250-350g• They Have 4 fingers and 5 toes

Description• Winter fur is dense and silver

grey with a brown tinge along the middle of its back

• Their summer fur is yellowish-brown

• Their belly is always white• They have a bushy grey tail• They have ears without tufts• Their head and body length is

25-30cm• Their tail length is 20-25cm• Their weight is 350-600g

RED SQUIRREL GREY SQUIRRELHabitat• Mainly conifer forests, broad

leaf woodland, Scots Pine and Norway Spruce forests

• Males may live in an area of up to 17 Hectares of woodland (about the size of 34 football pitches)

• They live high in trees in a nest made from twigs, leaves and moss

• Their nest is called a drey• The drey may be in a hole in

the tree or set against the trunk and branches

Habitat• They live in woodland and

urban areas• They prefer mature

deciduous woodland but also common in parks and gardens in towns and cities

• They build dreys the size of a football made from twigs with leaves still attached

• They may take over another birds nest e.g. A rooks nest

• They may build several dreys

RED SQUIRREL

Food• They eat mainly tree seeds• In spring and early summer

they eat buds, flowers and shoots from both deciduous and coniferous trees

• In winter they eat seeds and nuts that they have buried in the ground

GREY SQUIRREL

Food• They eat hazelnuts, acorns,

tree bark, fungi, buds, leaves, shoots, flowers & berries

• They will raid birds nests for eggs and young chicks

RED SQUIRRELOther facts

• They can live for up t 5-6 years in the wild

• They do not hibernate but are less active in bad weather conditions

• They mate between January and March

• They have a litter usually of 3-4• They can have 2 litters a year• A baby squirrel is called a kitten• Only the mother looks after the

kitten• Red squirrels can swim• They moult their ear tufts once a

year in late autumn

GREY SQUIRRELOther facts

• They breed twice a year, Dec – Feb and May - June

• There are usually 2-6 kittens in each litter

• The young leave the drey after 10 weeks

• They collect nuts & seeds in the autumn and bury them in scattered places all around the woods and gardens (caches)

• They have a very good memory and sense of smell which helps them to find their caches weeks or months later

• Many caches remain uneaten which allows the nuts and seeds to grow producing more trees in the woodland

• They carry a virus called Squirrel Pox Virus

RED SQUIRREL versus Grey SQUIRREL

• Red females rarely breed when grey squirrels are around their habitat, so as the adult reds grow old and die, there are not enough juveniles to survive into adulthood so the reds become extinct in that colony• Red squirrels don't survive as well in oak woodland as grey squirrels have a better digestive system and eat more as they are bigger and need more energy• Likewise, grey squirrels don't survive in coniferous woodland as there is not enough energy available for them• Grey squirrels carry the Squirrel Pox virus but do not suffer from it as they also have antibodies. They transmit the infection to each other and to red squirrels. Red squirrels get severe skin ulcers and die• Only a few grey squirrels are needed to kill off a colony of red squirrels• There are projects around the UK to control the number of grey squirrels which will allow red squirrels to breed more and stop them from becoming extinct.

SUMMARY

I NEED A HERO!!!!