Red squirrel

The red squirrel is a small, bright animal with a reddish coat, a creamy-white tummy, and a big fluffy tail. In winter it grows long, pointy tufts of fur on the tips of its ears, which make it look extra smart. Red squirrels live in the woods and forests of Europe and Asia.

Red squirrels are wonderful climbers and jumpers. They dash along branches and leap from tree to tree, using their long, fluffy tail to help them balance and steer. When the weather is cold, they can curl that same tail around themselves like a warm blanket.

These squirrels love to eat the seeds tucked inside pine cones, along with nuts, acorns, berries, and mushrooms. They are famous for hiding food in the ground to save for later. In winter, when meals are hard to find, they use their sharp sense of smell to sniff out the treats they buried earlier.

Red squirrels build cosy nests called dreys out of twigs, high up in the fork of a tree, and line them with soft moss and grass. A mother squirrel has her babies inside the drey. The tiny newborns are born blind and helpless, and she keeps them warm and safe until they are big enough to explore the branches.

In some places, such as parts of Britain, red squirrels have become harder to find. A bigger cousin from North America, the grey squirrel, moved in and now takes much of the food and space. Kind people are planting woodlands and looking after special safe places so these lovely red-furred squirrels can keep leaping through the trees.