Grey Squirrel – answers
- There are two species of squirrel that live in the UK: the red squirrel, native to the UK and the grey squirrel which was introduced to the UK from America in the early 19th century.
- Unlike many rodents, such as bats and dormice, grey squirrels don’t hibernate as they can’t get fat enough, so while they may sleep a lot, you will often see them out and about during the colder months. If you think about it, a fat squirrel wouldn’t be able to climb trees and jump from branch to branch.
- Squirrel livs in a dreys or dens. These are made up of twigs and branches. Squirrels don’t like being cold so when it’s really chilly outside, they sometimes curl up with other squirrells to keep warm.
- The grey squirrel is a hoarder! They collect as much food as they can during the warmer months, then bury it all for a rainy day. Interesting fact: a squirrel can store food in thousands of different locations and then come winter time, they are able to remember all the hiding places.
- If a squirrel moves its tail from side to side, it means it’s uncertain about something or preparing for a difficult jump. If the tail is flicking up and down and the squirrel is making a chuk-chuk-chuk noise, then it’s angry and the faster the flicking of the tail the more angry it is.
- Grey squirrels don’t directly kill red squirrels, but they do contribute towards their decline. Grey squirrels are resistant carriers to disease which the red squirrel is susceptable to. Additionally, grey squirrels are also able to eat green, unripe acorns and red squirrels can’t and so they consume that food source before the red squirrel is able to.
Did you know that the squirrel is one of a very few mammals that has the ability to climb down trees head first, they are able to do this by turning their hind feet around so that their claws are able to grip the bark.
We hope you have enjoyed reading about the grey squirrel and perhaps learned one or two new things. If you would like to learn about other animals, check out the other posts on the nature trail.