What inspired you to get into wildlife photography in the first place? I went to a lecture by the photographer Laurie Campbell. His first slide was a robin on a spade – a cliched shot, but on that huge screen, it blew me away. If not Scotland, where would you live? Somewhere cold and snowy. […]
Tag: red squirrel
This peculiar rodent is the size of a domestic cat and weirdly covered in bands of deep, rich reds and blues
Squirrels don’t come much bigger than the Malabar giant variety. Weighing four times as much as a grey squirrel and much bigger than the red squirrel, this robust rodent is about the size of a domestic cat. But it’s not the Malabar giant’s size that turns heads and drops jaws, but rather its colour scheme. Meet the rainbow […]
Red squirrel vs grey squirrel: Think you know how they differ? Think again as the differences between these two squirrels will surprise you
Despite being two different species of squirrel the grey and red squirrel do share some similarities, says Mark Henderson from the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. Both squirrels are arboreal (tree dwelling) and diurnal (out and about in the day). Their primary food source is generally the nuts and seeds of trees, but is supplemented by […]
Squirrels are attacking unsuspecting Californians in bloody rampage
At least two people have been sent to the emergency room after a bizarre new trend emerged in California: rampaging squirrels ambushing humans. At least five people have been attacked by aggressive squirrels in San Rafael, a Bay Area community near San Francisco. Isabel Campoy and her niece were among those hurt while walking through […]
Red squirrel population thriving on Isle of Wight and could almost double, study finds
Red squirrels are thriving on the Isle of Wight where they have enough food and a suitable habitat to support a population that could almost double, a study has found. Using climate models, the researchers mapped how the red squirrel population would fare under different climate breakdown scenarios such as temperature changes and low levels […]
Less than 1% of UK biosecurity budget goes on tackling invasive species, figures show
Less than 1% of the government’s biosecurity budget goes on tackling invasive species, despite the danger they pose to British wildlife, figures suggest. Conservationists warned the funding to address non-native plants and animals was failing to match the risk they posed to “cherished” native species, from water voles to ladybirds, as well as to waterways, […]
Incoming LOLZ: The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards will put a smile on your face
The results are in and the winner of this year’s funniest wildlife photo goes to Milko Marchetti for his very chuckle-worthy shot of a red squirrel with its head firmly embedded in a tree. Marchetti’s shot was selected as the overall winner and winner of the Mammal category in the 2024 Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards […]
Leprosy passed between medieval squirrels and humans, study suggests
Leprosy passed between humans and red squirrels in medieval England, research suggests, supporting the theory that the fur trade could have played a role in the spread of the disease. Leprosy is one of the oldest infectious diseases recorded in humans and is typically caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. While most cases now occur […]