Quote:
Originally Posted by smartie  Lighten my darkness, henrya.  What are the essential differences between the native and introduced reds that I should look out for next time I'm lucky enough to see either? |
In the native subspecies, the tail and the ear tufts moult and regrow in the autumn to a blackish brown, and very quickly begin to bleach, so by early summer the following year they are almost white - I don't think I have seen this in any of the photos here. Of course, this won't show on freshly moulted ones, but the continental squirrels are either a lot redder or a lot darker than British ones. British Red Squirrels tend to moult to brownish-grey body fur in autumn, and to red body fur in spring, with whitish undersides (the body fur moults twice a year, the tail and ear fur only once). There has been interbreeding between the native subspecies and the continental subspecies in many places, so many of the genes are mixed up, and you get gradations in colouring. Not a simple business!
henrya