Mammals
Eurasian Red Squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris · also called red squirrel
Bounding through a stand of native pine with distinctive tufted ears catching the light, a Eurasian red squirrel represents a species now largely absent from much of Britain, pushed out by an introduced rival that outcompetes it for food and carries a disease fatal only to reds.
Overview
The Eurasian red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, is a tufted-eared, tree-dwelling rodent native to forest habitat across a broad range spanning much of Europe and parts of northern Asia. Its widespread continental abundance contrasted sharply with its severe regional decline in Britain, vulnerability to a disease carried harmlessly by its introduced rival, and distinctive seasonal ear tufts make it one of the more culturally significant and conservation-complicated rodents found anywhere in Europe.
A common species with an uncommon local crisis
Widespread and secure across most of its range, the Eurasian red squirrel’s story takes a sharply different turn in Britain, where an introduced competitor has combined ordinary resource competition with a disease advantage to drive one of Europe’s more striking regional wildlife declines.
Status
Least Concern globally, though populations have declined severely in Britain and parts of Western Europe due to competition and disease transmission from the introduced grey squirrel.
Eurasian Red Squirrel: common questions
Why has the Eurasian red squirrel declined in Britain?
This species has been pushed out of much of Britain by the introduced grey squirrel, which outcompetes it for food resources and can carry a squirrelpox virus that proves fatal to red squirrels while typically causing no symptoms in the greys themselves, a combination that has driven steep regional declines.
How can you tell a Eurasian red squirrel from a grey squirrel?
This species has a reddish-orange to brown coat and develops prominent ear tufts, particularly noticeable in winter, features not present in the introduced grey squirrel, which is generally larger and lacks the distinctive tufted ears.
How does the Eurasian red squirrel prepare for winter?
This species scatter-hoards food by burying individual nuts and seeds across its territory throughout the autumn, relying on scent and memory to relocate a portion of these caches during the leaner winter months when fresh food is scarce.
Is the Eurasian red squirrel endangered everywhere?
No, this species remains widespread and of Least Concern across much of continental Europe and Asia, with its serious declines concentrated specifically in Britain and parts of Western Europe where the introduced grey squirrel has become established.