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Red Squirrel - Sciurus vulgaris |
 An iconic native species in Scotland, it has suffered greatly from habitat loss, persecution and most recently from competition from the American Grey Squirrel, first released in 1876. It is most at home in dense coniferous forests, now mainly found in Scottish plantation forestry. They are thoroughly at home in the trees with double-jointed ankles and sticky pads on their feet giving excellent agility and grip. They are well adapted to the varying temperatures by growing a thinker coat in winter. This gives them their characteristic ear tuffs and bushy tails, which they wrap around themselves to keep warm.
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