These little squirrels are found across the majority of the US and Canada. Smaller than the gray or black squirrel, red squirrels in North America are a bit darker, almost brown in colour, compared to the Eurasian red squirrels.

Noisy, with a prolonged “chattering” sound, they’re not aggressive, but they also aren’t afraid to let you know if you’re in their territory. Indeed, territory is a big deal for North American red squirrels. From a young age, the only way to survive is for a squirrel to find it’s own territory and defend it from other squirrels. They prefer hardwood forests and in many parks you can see squirrels chasing each other around, defending their territories and the trees and food supply within it.

Some people find them cute, some think they’re like rats. I think they’re great little creatures. But they don’t have an easy life as they face a pile of predators from lynx and crows to foxes and weasels. It’s a pretty tough life for a red squirrel, with 4 out of 5 not surviving long enough to reach their first birthday!