Eastern grey squirrels in Europe

Common card · No. 416532

Europe's grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) originated in North America, where they are known as eastern gray squirrels (to differentiate from western gray squirrels). They eat large seeds, flowers, buds, fruits, fungi, some insects and occasionally bird eggs. They were first introduced into England, in a concerted way, in 1876, and through rapidly growing population and further introductions they spread to the rest of Great Britain by the early to mid-20th century. The eastern grey squirrel was introduced to Continental Europe in 1948 and has quickly taken advantage of Europe's food sources, habitats and lack of predators for grey squirrels. Genetic studies have shown that human intervention—released pets and intentional dispersal—may play a much larger role in the spread of grey squirrels than previously believed. The native squirrel in Europe is the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Both species have similar diets, use similar habitats and have similar activity patterns; however...

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