Red squirrel

The red squirrel, also called the Eurasian red squirrel, is an arboreal, largely herbivorous tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus, found across woodland habitats throughout Europe and Asia. Adults measure 19 to 23 centimetres in head and body length, with a tail of 15 to 20 centimetres and a mass of 250 to 340 grams, and their coats range from red through brown, grey and black with a consistently white to cream underside. The species grows a thicker, darker winter coat with larger ear tufts each year, replacing its thinner summer coat, and it favours coniferous forest as well as temperate broadleaf woodland. Populations have fallen sharply in Britain and Ireland, mainly because of competition from the introduced eastern grey squirrel, though the species remains classified as Least Concern across its overall range.