This article first appeared on Galway Bay FM

Research carried out at University of Galway has shed light on how the red squirrel has adapted to survive a prolific native predator.

That’s the pine martin – an otter-like animal most commonly found in the west, which has decimated the grey squirrel population in recent years. .

The pine marten is related to the stoat and otter, and adults are about the size of a domestic cat.

It’s growing population has caused a very sharp decline in the population of the invasive grey squirrel.

But why the grey squirrel, and not the native red squirrel – that’s exactly what Dr Emily Reilly and Dr Colin Lawton wanted to find out.

They studied feed stations at Derryclare Woods in Connemara, and Belleek Woods in Ballina, over 16 months to observe behaviours.

They found that red squirrels showed strong anti-predator responses, by feeding less and showing increased vigilance.

The research further reveals the animals can detect recent pine marten presence, ranging from hours to days, and judge the level of threat accordingly.

The team concludes that the stark difference between the red and grey squirrel is the formers long evolutionary history with the pine martin.