Hokkaido Red Squirrel

The squirrels here in Hokkaido are very elusive. There are a number of Eurasian red squirrels living here inside my university’s campus but it is so difficult to take photos of them.

There’s even a human-sized statues of the red squirrels near the Tokachi-Obihiro Airport.

The Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a tree squirrel common throughout Asia and Europe. Their number have declined drastically in parts of Europe due to the introduction of another tree squirrel from North America, the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis).

Eastern gray squirrel in New York City.

I have seen the eastern gray squirrel when I was in New York and they were more adapted to humans. It’s easier to take photos with them than the Eurasian red squirrel. The eastern gray squirrel is an invasive species displacing the native squirrels in Europe.

Eastern gray squirrel on a tree in New York City.

The eastern gray squirrels are larger and stronger than the red squirrel and have a greater ability to store fat for winter. These factors have made the gray squirrel with higher survival and breeding rates than the red squirrel.

And speaking of gray squirrels, I also saw the Mexican gray squirrel or red-bellied squirrel (Sciurus aureogaster) when I was in Mexico City. Aside from the countries where I saw the two species of gray squirrels, I cannot tell the difference between the Eastern and the Mexican gray squirrels.

Mexican gray squirrel caught off-guard in Mexico City.

Going back to the Eurasian red squirrels, there is a unique subspecies that can only be found in Hokkaido (S. vulgaris orienti). They can be seen in the hollows of the tree trunks where they breed and raise their young. Since the winter is so long in Hokkaido, they store nuts and dug it out of the heavy snow.

Picture perfect of the Eurasian red squirrel.

Since I came here in Obihiro, I always try to take pictures of these squirrels but it always ended up not good. They are so sensitive to movements and can run so fast. So when I saw one on a branch of a tree last week, I immediately took my camera and took my best photograph of the Eurasian gray squirrel. Finally, it was a success.

Siberian chipmunk in the woods.

The red squirrel is not the only rodent that I have encountered here in Hokkaido. I also saw the Siberian chipmunk (Eutamias sibiricus) during a mountain hiking. Chipmunks are also squirrels but unlike the red squirrels, they are ground squirrels who live in burrows. They are striped and with cheek pouches giving them a very cute appearance. So when I saw one, I took a picture of course. The Siberian chipmunk is the only chipmunk found outside North America, appearing across Central Russia and Northern Asia including China, Korea and here in Hokkaido.

Beware of the crossing squirrels!