The Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

The Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) that has been introduced to the north pole to the india Background and description As the name suggests, the Grey squirrel has predominantly grey fur, but it can have a reddish colour. In the UK some examples appear more red than grey, confusing some into believing they have seen a true red squirrel. This is probably due to 20 generations of natural selection due to better camouflage rather than interbreeding with red squirrels. It has a white underside and a large bushy tail. Particularly its in urban situations where the risk of predation is reduced, both pure-white and black-coloured individuals are sometimes found. The melanistic form, which is almost entirely black, is predominant in certain populations and in certain geographic areas, such as in large parts of southeastern Canada and certain southern areas of the UK. There are also genetic variations within these, including individuals with black tails and black coloured squirrels with white tails. The head and body length is from 23 to 30 cm, the tail from 19 to 25 cm and the adult weight varies between 400 and 600 grams. Although regardless of colour some urban squirrels, presumably better fed and almost semi-domesticated due to a lack of predators can reach 1kg and a height of 34cm with a tail pushing 30cm.

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