If this picture looks right out of Beatrix Potter"s world, we"d say you have a good eye for a story. In 1903, Potter published "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin," about a cheeky squirrel who taunts an owl with silly riddles until he pushes things too far—narrowly escaping with his life, minus a tail. Potter based Nutkin on the red squirrel, the only native squirrel species in the UK. The red squirrel population saw a steep decline here after humans introduced the larger nonnative Eastern gray squirrel in the late 1800s. But today in the UK, the red squirrel is a protected species, bolstering efforts to keep the gray numbers in check and preserve habitat. Estimates put the red squirrel population in the UK at fewer than 140,000, with the vast majority living in the woods of Scotland, like our little friend here.
The tale of squirrels like Nutkin
Today in History
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It’s Opening Day for Major League Baseball
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I ll call for pen and ink
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St. Patricks Day in County Waterford, Ireland
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Pups of the prairie
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Manatee Awareness Month
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Honoring those who served
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National Moon Day
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World Rainforest Day
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Feeling chic on Fashion Week
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The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice, Italy
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Space-age style by the sea
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Belted Galloway cows
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Ready for takeoff
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Father s Day
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Celebrating the UN’s International Day of Families
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A Latino art exhibition in Denver
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National Park Week: Guadalupe Mountains National Park
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Sailing across the ice
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Ancient art in the Amazon
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Keyholes to the kingdom
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A different view of sharks
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National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
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Aw shucks, It s Oyster Day
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Old Fortress, Corfu, Greece
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Irohazaka road
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Black History Month
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Avatars of the Wolf Moon
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Azaleas blooming on Hwangmaesan Mountain, South Korea
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Celebrate International Women’s Day
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Where fire meets water