Eurasian red squirrel with toadstool

© Edwin Giesbers/Minden Picture

Eurasian red squirrel

What's that long, bushy tail scurrying across the branches? Chances are, it's a squirrel. From the tiny least pygmy squirrel—more than 13 centimetres long—to the Bhutan giant flying squirrel at more than one metres, these mammals come in all shapes and sizes.

Today's image features a Eurasian red squirrel, photographed in the Netherlands. The red squirrel can be found across Europe and Russia, from western Spain and Portugal all the way to eastern Siberia. Their diet mainly consists of nuts, fungi, seeds and berries, but they will occasionally eat birds' eggs. In addition to being the national mammal of Denmark, they also play a part in old Norse mythology. Ratatoskr is a red squirrel who scurries up and down Yggdrasil, the sacred tree, carrying messages and spreading gossip. So, next time you spot a red squirrel, it could just be a furry little messenger!