They were introduced from USA and Canada to approximately 30 sites in England, Scotland and Wales from 1876 to 1930.
- Grey squirrels eat seeds, buds, flowers, shoots, nuts, berries and fruit from many trees and shrubs. They also eat fungi and insects, and occasionally birds' eggs and fledglings.
- They store nuts in the ground in the autumn, but do not remember where they store them. They rely on scent to find them.
- They can be right or left-handed.
- They can live up to seven years.
- They have four fingers and five toes.
- The upper fur is mainly grey with mid-brown along the upper back, and chestnut over the flanks, limbs and feet.
- Their underside is white. The tail hairs are grey, banded with brown and black and a white fringe.
- They weigh 450-650g.
- Their body is 24–26cm long.
Related: How a squirrel's gone nuts over ranger MarkA mousy-brown fluff ball of a squirrel took a shine to Central Park ranger Mark Swift on Tuesday and has been following him about the picturesque site ever since.
16 May 2008The full article contains 187 words and appears in Peterborough ET newspaper.
