# Eurasian Red Squirrel

*Sciurus vulgaris*

Red squirrels can find buried food caches under a foot of snow using their keen sense of smell, though they often forget where many are hidden, helping forests regenerate.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Mammalia › Rodentia › Sciuridae › Sciurus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Coniferous and temperate deciduous forests
- **Diet:** Conifer seeds, hazelnuts, acorns, fungi, berries, tree sap, and occasionally bird eggs
- **Range:** Europe, Northern Asia, Siberia, Mongolia, Hokkaido
- **Size:** Body length of 19-23 cm, tail length of 15-20 cm, weighing 250-340 grams
- **Lifespan:** 3 to 7 years in the wild
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Competition and disease transmission (Squirrelpox) from the invasive Eastern Grey Squirrel, and habitat fragmentation
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and generally shy. Observe from a distance of 5 to 10 meters to watch their natural behavior. Do not attempt to handle or hand-feed them, as they may bite if startled. If bitten, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical advice to prevent infection.

## About

The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris ) is a species of tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus common throughout Eurasia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, omnivorous rodent.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/5f3525fb-1b12-4a96-b92e-30849880b00f
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/46001
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciurus vulgaris
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/462357539/medium.jpg (Rhododendrites, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.