Red Squirrel

forest acrobat · Eurasian rodent · tree lover · seed stasher

Nut hoarders. Red squirrels are famous for burying thousands of nuts and seeds in the ground to eat during winter, and they're so good at remembering where they hid them that they help grow new trees by accident.

Tree climbers. These squirrels live almost entirely in trees, leaping from branch to branch with amazing balance and using their big fluffy tails like a blanket to keep warm and a rudder to steer.

Speedy bounders. Red squirrels can jump up to 5 meters (about 16 feet) between trees and run at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour, making them some of the fastest acrobats in the forest.

Strict vegetarians. These rodents stick to plants: they love nuts, seeds, fungi, berries, and tree bark, and they rarely eat insects or meat like some of their squirrel cousins do.

Fancy ear tufts. Red squirrels have adorable fluffy tufts sticking out from the tips of their ears, especially in winter, and these tufts might help them hear better in the chilly months.