The Red Squirrel, the original 'Squirrel Nutkin' of Beatrix Potter fame, is one of our favourite British mammals but it is declining in numbers and now classified as an endangered species.                                 

THE BEGINNINGS

It all began 34 million years ago with Protosciurus, the oldest known tree squirrel fossil. The first signs of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L.) appeared at the end of the last ice age, almost 10,000 years ago, when the land bridge between Britain and Europe was starting to disappear. Today, the red squirrel can be found in areas of Scotland (mostly southern), Wales and Ireland, a few habitats in England - Northumberland, Cumbria, Isle of Wight, Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Thetford Forest in Norfolk and Jersey; Europe and Asia, from the Arctic Circle in the north to the Mediterranean Sea in the south, and from China in the east to Britain in the west. Interestingly, it is only in Britain where the red squirrel is threatened, although some populations in northern Italy are also declining. Both of these areas have also been subject to the release of American grey squirrels.

During the middle ages, sumptuary laws governed the way people dressed and defined social status.  Wearing silk, satin, gold or silver cloth, lace, taffeta and furs was the prerogative of knights, their ladies and all who ranked above them. Those who violated the sumptuary laws could be fined, imprisoned or, in the case of the lower classes, put to death. Among the furs restricted to royalty and the nobility were ermine and lettice, the winter livery of stoats and weasels and vair.  Vair was the name of red squirrel skins and was one of the two heraldic furs.  If one was royal or a very noble lady, one wore slippers made of vair.

These two photographs              © Laurie Campbell 2006                     www.lauriecampbell.com

Charles Perrault, the French poet, published the story of Cinderella in 1697 and in the original, Prince Charming knew the mystery girl at the ball was of equal rank to him, because the slipper she left behind was made of vair.  During the translation to English in 1792, it is thought vair was miss-interpreted as verre and thereafter Cinderella's squirrel skin slipper became glass. 

Records from the 15th and 16th centuries indicate that red squirrel numbers dropped in Scotland and Wales, and by the 18th century the red squirrel had virtually become extinct in Scotland. This decline can largely be attributed to the need for timber in industry, agriculture and war, and the subsequent felling of large areas of woodland.  With a drive to replace the trees that had been lost, new planting in the 19th century boosted red squirrel numbers, and by the start of the 20th century there was a thriving population of red squirrels across Britain. The red squirrel recovered to such an extent that in some places it became known as a pest and between 1903 and 1933 the Highland Squirrel Club recorded the destruction of 82,000 red squirrels! But, during the course of the 20th century, red squirrel numbers plummeted to very low levels, not helped by further tree clearances during both world wars, the spread of the American grey squirrel and outbreaks of two fatal diseases, Coccidiosis and Parapox virus.  Today the future of our only native species of squirrel is gravely threatened. 

SQUIRRELS TODAY

Squirrels in the 21st century don't look very different from their prehistoric ancestors, but nowadays, there are at least 267 species of squirrel throughout the world, which come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. Squirrels belong to the order Rodentia, characterised by their efficient gnawing front teeth and includes other animals such as mice and voles. Within this order, the Family Sciuridae covers the three groups of squirrels - flying squirrels, ground dwelling squirrels and tree squirrels, the latter of which includes both red and grey squirrels.

RED SQUIRREL CHARACTERISTICS

Red squirrels have fur which ranges from blonde or pale orange, through deep reddish-brown to almost black with ear tufts which are easier to spot in winter. They have bushy tails, which may bleach lighter in summer, with one indication of a youngster being a thinner, less bushy tail and looking lighter in weight. Their tails act as a rudder when moving or jumping - up to twenty feet - and acts as a cosy coat held over their backs while stationary in cold weather. Red squirrels have long whiskers, which they use to find their way around inside their drey. Grey squirrels are stockier and heavier, with mouse-like ears growing much less hair and a halo of white around their tail.

RED SQUIRREL BREEDING

Red squirrels build nests, called dreys in the forks of branches, close to the main trunk. The drey consists of a hollow ball of twigs and leaves, which is then lined with soft hair (alpaca fibre in Fowberry squirrels' case) grass and moss. Summer dreys may also be constructed, which are flat, less protective structures used for resting during daylight hours. As an alternative to dreys, some squirrels may use natural holes in trees, which are known as dens. Often two or three dreys are in use at any one time; these may be close together or wide apart, depending on the squirrels' range. In the winter and very early spring squirrels of all ages and both males and females may share dreys but only if their territories overlap and they feed close together or know each other. Drey sharing usually stops in late spring and summer when the females are raising their young. The mating season often starts on warm days in January with the squirrels chasing each other through the branches or around a tree trunk. The female red squirrel may produce two litters in a good year (45 - 48 days after mating), one in the spring (April) and the other in summer (August). There can be up to six young born, more usually two to three babies (kittens) in a litter. The breeding drey is usually a little larger than normal with a thick, soft, lining of grass and hair. If the mother is disturbed, she will carry her babies in her mouth, one by one, to another nest, which is sometimes quite a distance away.  The young are born blind and naked. As they develop, the female spends more and more time away from the drey, and by the time they are three weeks old she may leave them for hours at a time.  At seven weeks the young begin to venture away from the nest and at nine to twelve weeks they are weaned and become independent. Their fluffy, darker baby coats change into the adult colour. The young squirrels' survival is determined largely by their first winter, with up to 85% of young, perishing during harsh conditions. Only females bring up the young and are territorial over their brood, with the male taking no part in the rearing of his young.

The success of the breeding season and raising of babies, depends on the seed crop of the main trees where they live. Where there is plenty of food, squirrels build up body fat and many survive the winter in good condition. This means they will start breeding early the next year and rear many babies. In a year when there is a shortage of food the squirrels do not put on much fat and they may die from starvation or disease during the winter. Most of the survivors are not fit enough to breed successfully.

Grey squirrels have evolved with better digestive systems to cope with the poisonous tannins in acorns.

The main predators of red squirrels are birds of prey, such as goshawks, sparrow hawks and buzzards, pine marten (in Scotland), foxes, rats, dogs and cats.

If we commit ourselves to the task of ensuring a future for red squirrels in Britain, there are positive steps, which can be taken.

You can help by monitoring and committing to REGULAR feeding of red squirrels using a specially designed feeding box, which is not accessible to birds.  Recommended foods for supplementary feeding include, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, peanuts in moderation, carrots and apples. (Of these, only carrots contain sufficient calcium to prevent calcium deficiency). A diet rich in peanuts and sunflower seeds has been linked to metabolic bone disease in red squirrels and it may therefore be wise to provide an extra source of calcium. This can either be provided in drinking water in the form of a powder supplement (e.g. "Collo-Cal D" available from C-VET Ltd, Leyland, Lancs) or from a bone hung in a tree or a cuttlefish bone broken up and added to the squirrel mix. In the wild, squirrels can be seen chewing deer antlers - once they have been shed of course!