Does Europe have Squirrels and Groundhogs all over the place like in the USA.

[JohnSmith]

LOL. Lots of normal squirrels here. I tend to give them nuts at winter time (using feeding automatic)

Plus even these .. Siberian flying squirrel ... only flying squirrel in Europe. Very very rare in Europe.

They just look different depending on location. I also used to catch sand crabs and horse shoe crabs on the beach. I remember my father used to grab giant snails out of the ocean when we went swimming at the beach.

[Finnish Swede]

Flying squirrel has nothing to do with normal squirrels (below) ... no matter of those colors or living areas:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberian_flying_squirrel
VS
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_squirrel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_red_squirrel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel


Flying squirrel's body is totally different:

[Mens-Sarda]

In Sardinia there are no squirrels at all; the fauna of Sardinia is enough different from that of the continent, for example, there are no wolves, or bears, no poisonous snakes, no squirrels or groundhogs, they are not extinct, they never lived in Sardinia, since the island separated from the continent millions years before these species evolved.

About wild animals wandering in towns, I sometimes see hedgehogs around the garden (I live in the outskirts of the town), during summer, almost every night I hear the fox barking under my window.

[Brás Garcia de Mascarenhas]

Squirrels were extinct in Portugal but they have returned since the 80's from the last century presumably through Galiza\Minho.



Areas with black dots are the ones where they have been sighted recently.

[Morena]

Squirrels were extinct in Portugal but they have returned since the 80's from the last century presumably through Galiza\Minho.

How exactly does an animal like the squirrel become extinct? Deforestation? Because the squirrels here in the US are well adapted to urban living. You should see the ones in Washington DC, as big as cats and not at all shy. They will walk up right up to you and look up, as though expecting a treat. They've even been known to kill people (usually old men).

[Ayetooey]

Squirrels yes, dunno wtf a groundhog is; I also had a badger outside my flat when I took the bins out yesterday; it glared at me for 10 seconds then ran off down the road.

[Ayetooey]

How exactly does an animal like the squirrel become extinct? Deforestation? Because the squirrels here in the US are well adapted to urban living. You should see the ones in Washington DC, as big as cats and not at all shy. They will walk up right up to you and look up, as though expecting a treat. They've even been known to kill people (usually old men).

In UK our native red squirrels were almost made extinct due to the introduction of American Grey squirrels. You still see a red squirrel sometimes but it's very rare. Last time I saw a red squirrel randomly was about 4 years ago and they only exist in very specific places, I'll see grey ones daily.

[Westbrook]

What did the American Squirrels do?

In UK our native red squirrels were almost made extinct due to the introduction of American Grey squirrels. You still see a red squirrel sometimes but it's very rare. Last time I saw a red squirrel randomly was about 4 years ago and they only exist in very specific places, I'll see grey ones daily.

[Morena]

In UK our native red squirrels were almost made extinct due to the introduction of American Grey squirrels. You still see a red squirrel sometimes but it's uncommon. Last time I saw a red squirrel randomly was about 4 years ago, I'll see grey ones daily.

I'm actually aware of that situation. I don't know squirrels can simply become extinct though, as they are hardy and adaptable creatures.

Squirrels yes, dunno wtf a groundhog is; I also had a badger outside my flat when I took the bins out yesterday; it glared at me for 10 seconds then ran off down the road.

Groundhogs are cute, but large, ground-dwelling rodents, who are said to predict the coming of Spring. ;D

[Ayetooey]

What did the American Squirrels do?

The American Grey Squirrels were introduced here 100 years ago and they outcompleted the native red squirrels for whatever reason, so many ended up starving to death; there was also a parapoxvirus which killed a lot of red squirrels, and other diseases the grey squirrels brought which the red ones couldn't adapt to. They still exist natively in parts of Scotland and on an island in Dorset but that's the only places you'll find them in the UK, most people here will never see one in their lives. The rest of Europe (excluding Ireland) never introduced grey squirrels so never had this issue.