What do you think about Grey Squirrels?

[Zak33]

greys have red in varying patches.. but they're totally different animals to reds

this is your native british red

[The Hand]

The brunette squirrel is rearing it's head in the UK recently, also known as "black-reds" a subtype of the red squirrel:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/eart...ng-rodent.html

They're better than our local black squirrels.

Looks like Black squirrels are similarly sub types of the grey squirrel.. Hence your problem! You certainly can see the similarities in the ears with the Greys and Blacks and with the Reds and Brunettes/Black-reds.

[kalniel]

Black squirrels are evil. They're aggressive and have rat like tails - they're not even cute!

[satrow]

Black squirrels are evil. They're aggressive and have rat like tails - they're not even cute!

Black Red Squirrels are cute.

[Apex]

vermin, kill on sight (they also caused my fear of needles, but thats a story for another day) They are cute but they don't belong here.

[Zak33]

The brunette squirrel is rearing it's head in the UK recently, also known as "black-reds" a subtype of the red squirrel:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/eart...ng-rodent.html
Looks like Black squirrels are similarly sub types of the grey squirrel.. Hence your problem! You certainly can see the similarities in the ears with the Greys and Blacks and with the Reds and Brunettes/Black-reds.

this is NEWS to me and I cannot thank you enough
thanks The Hand

[satrow]

The Telegraph 'article' is a crock.

https://web.archive.org/web/20041115...rels/Page1.htm <- 2004, referring to "Populations were supplemented by the introduction of red squirrels from England and, possibly Scandinavia in the late 18th and early 19th centuries."

Page 2, Appearance: The colour of the coat can vary markedly from almost black to chestnut or light brown on the back, and pale or cream on the chest and stomach. Squirrels moult their fur twice a year, losing it from head to the tail in the spring, and from the tail forward to the head in autumn"

Helen McRobie, from the project, said populations of black-reds had been recorded in Italy, Germany, France and Spain, but were not previously known to exist in the UK.

I've seen black Red Squirrels within ~25 miles of the current Russian border, they're way more widespread on the mainland than the 'records' above suggest.

Mammal Society factsheet Red Squirrels (pdf)

Smacks of tree-hugging Robin-strokers, not science.

[Zak33]

so what you're saying Satrow is that the red/black is actually a red... just a different colour, not a different breed?

[satrow]

I'm saying a lot more than just that: either the 'scientists' are having a giraffe or the 'reporter''s never been off tarmac.

Squirrels, Red Squirrels come in a variety of 'non-standard' forms. Each of those forms and intergrades are all the same species. They can't interbreed - they just breed, interbreeding only occurs between different (but usually closely related) species.

Grey/Gray Squirrels aren't closely related to the European Reds, they've never been reported as interbreeding.

'Black' Red Squirrels have been recorded in Britain for much longer than the Telegraph 'article' suggests, the 18th C reports of introductions from Scandinavia would almost certainly have brought a higher % of black form genes into the British gene pool.

There are almost certainly do-gooders who are trying to introduce more Reds from Europe, take a look at the text here.

Hands up all those who think that bringing in fresh fodder for a virus to kill off is a good idea.

[Zak33]

ok so I did get the idea right

Yeah I'm up with the cross breeding being impossible between grey and red and no ,.. I don't think bringing squirrels in, to just die of pox is a god idea either

unless there is some proof that they may be immune to the pox

[Dashers]

From 2010: http://www.scotsman.com/news/environ...cine-1-1365565

[Dashers]

Still wouldn't address different hibernation cycles and contest for food (greys coming out earlier)

[Top_gun]

Has anyone tried Squirrel Meat? Who has the best flavour, red or grey?

[stevie lee]

ok so I did get the idea right

Yeah I'm up with the cross breeding being impossible between grey and red and no ,.. I don't think bringing squirrels in, to just die of pox is a god idea either

unless there is some proof that they may be immune to the pox

red squirrel Clark Kent from 2013. is some proof. http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/...cle1335515.ece
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-16-years.html

he caught it, survived it, then was released pox free.
wasn't completely immune or he wouldn't have caught it. but as numbers are now increasing there are signs that the Formby lot may be highly resistant or immune now. especially if Clark was a randy squizzle

they just need to do some follow up research to check if immune/resistant, but they were waiting a few years before doing that.

[Zak33]

excellent work people.. excellent

thank you all

[Zak33]

I wanted you to see what greys did to some of my trees last year


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