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Grey Squirrel


Grey Squirrel, courtesy of Crispin Swan

Sighted throughout the year, the grey squirrel is at its busiest in Autumn.

The grey squirrel is a scatter-hoarder – meaning it hoardes and hides food in lots of small caches for later recovery. These stores of nuts and other food items are re-traced by smell rather than memory. Autumn is a particularly demanding season for the grey squirrel as it must find and bury enough food to see it through the winter months.

Grey squirrels are commonly found in woodlands but can also inhabit hedgerows, parks and even gardens. Grey squirrels live in nests, or drays, which they build high up in trees. A dray is similar in size to a football, made from twigs and lined with grass, moss and feathers. A winter dray is thicker than a summer dray, and built closer to the tree trunk.

The grey squirrel differs from the native red squirrel by its colour, size (grey squirrels are larger) and ability to digest acorns. Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from the USA around 100 years ago and have flourished to the detriment of our native species.

Interestingly, squirrels can communicate using their tails – which they twitch if they are uneasy or suspicious.

Facts

Appearance: Unsuprisingly, the grey squirrel has predominantly grey fur. It has a white underside, small tufty ears and a large bushy tail

Size: Between 20-30cm

Weight: 400-600g

Lifespan: 9 years

Diet: Acorns, nuts, roots, fruits, flowers and cereals.

Family: Sciuridae

Did you know?

  • A squirrel can land safely from a height of some 30ft.
  • A grey squirrel can leap more than 6 metres
  • As it sleeps, the grey squirrel uses its tail like A blanket to wrap around its body