Red Squirrel
Latin: Sciurus vulgaris (Linné 1758)
Svenska: Ekorre
Deutsch: Eichhörnchen
Hands-free fall
The red squirrel must be on its guard. Both the Northern goshawk and the pine marten (cousin to minks, otters and badgers) would like to make a meal of it. If a predator manages to catch a red squirrel, the squirrel has one last trick up its sleeve: it lets go of the tree. Releasing its grip, it can fall several meters through the tree, finally scrambling to grab hold of a branch after its escape.
Red squirrels are found all over Uppland. If you want to see one, you might try the Botanic Garden in Uppsala, or right here outside Biotopia.
The red squirrel mostly eats seeds from the spruce tree that it picks out of the cones in the winter.
Photo: FotoFinnaren
Latest sightings of red squirrels in Uppland
Wikipedia article on the red squirrel