RED - Sciurus vulgaris

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 340g. The red squirrel is somewhat smaller than the eastern grey squirrel. It is thought that the long tail helps the squirrel to balance and steer when jumping from tree to tree and running along branches.

The coat of the red squirrel varies in colour with time of year and location. There are several different 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 co-exist 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. The red squirrel, like most tree squirrels, has sharp, curved claws to enable it to climb and descend broad tree trunks, thin branches and even house walls.

Thanks as always for your time, your thoughts/comments are very welcome
Regards - Sarah J x

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Title:	RED - Sciurus vulgaris
Username:	Sezz
Uploaded:	9 Jan 2011 - 2:09 PM
Group Event:	7th Annual BWC Meeting