How the North American grey squirrel has displaced the native red squirrel in the UK. : map

[–] doughless@lemmy.world 16 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

This just reminded me of a time I was living in England in the late 90s, and a group of friends and I had found an injured grey squirrel. We called animal control for help, and their response was that if we decide to officially report it, they would have to put it down, because it's considered an invasive species. We ended up just letting the squirrel go, sorry England, for making your map just a tiny bit more grey.

[–] Mr_Blott@feddit.uk 7 points 10 months ago

It was injured. You helped the Buzzard population. Bravo!

[–] lord_ryvan@ttrpg.network 12 points 10 months ago

It looks like the displacement slowed down, but there's 55 years between the first and second picture, and only 10 between the second and third.

[–] manucode@infosec.pub 9 points 10 months ago (2 children)

We are in 2010 AD. All Wales is occupied by the Grey Squirrels. All? No! Because an island populated by irreducible Red Squirrels still resists the invader.

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

My my how the turntables

[–] manucode@infosec.pub 4 points 10 months ago

What do you mean? Wales has a long history of getting invaded. First by the Romans, then by the English and now by the Grey Sqirrels.

[–] arudesalad@sh.itjust.works 1 points 9 months ago

Anglesey is beautiful and if you ever end up in north Wales (if you do I'm sorry for your loss) then you should visit it

[–] MadBob@feddit.nl 6 points 10 months ago (1 children)

This isn't a map of the UK, strictly speaking, because it includes ROI and Mann.

[–] FleetingTit@feddit.org 3 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

*a map of the British Isles

[–] odium@programming.dev 6 points 10 months ago

About high time they experience getting colonized

[+] scytale@lemm.ee 5 points 10 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] ultimitchow@sh.itjust.works 19 points 10 months ago (2 children)

In 1876 a Victorian banker "decided to release into the wild a pair of grey squirrels he had brought back with him from a business trip to America. Other landowners, viewing the non-native species as a fashionable garden novelty, soon followed suit."

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/sep/05/red-grey-squirrels-cornwall

[–] njm1314@lemmy.world 10 points 10 months ago

Rich English people and destroying native populations name a better combination.

[–] usrtrv@lemmy.ml 8 points 10 months ago

They were released everywhere in the US for a similar reason. Towns wanted squirrels for the furry aesthetic. Before squirrels just hung out in the forest.

[–] smeg@feddit.uk 4 points 10 months ago

Coming over here, chewing on our nuts!

[–] HarbingerOfTomb@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

Gray squirrels are colonizing red squirrels in North America too.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 2 points 9 months ago

We're heading over to that side of the pond soon, my squirrel serial killer dog will come with us.

You're welcome.

[–] Miyar@lemmy.world 2 points 10 months ago

[–] sqw@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 10 months ago (2 children)

interesting, guess the greys are filling the same niche.

[–] then_three_more@lemmy.world 4 points 10 months ago

They are. The big thing with invasive species out competing native ones is usually, however, due to bringing in different diseases and not having predators.

[–] sqw@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 10 months ago

ah, that, and bringing their diseases.

[–] crapwittyname@lemm.ee 1 points 10 months ago

Anglesey is doing something right

[–] i_am_not_a_robot@feddit.uk 1 points 10 months ago

Ah, why are the black squirrels not mapped? They are slowly taking over from the greys apparently.

[–] Crumbgrabber@lemm.ee -3 points 10 months ago

fINALLY BRINGING dEMOCRACY TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO Be.

Map Enthusiasts