We have the winner of our other First Four matches. It was close, but the River Otter narrowly defeated the Muskrat to advance to the first full round of this tournament. Now Lontra canadensis faces off against the Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus).
The red squirrel featured here is the American red squirrel. It should not be confused with Sciurus vulgaris, which is exclusive to Europe and Asia. Tamiasciurus has its range across most of Canada, particularly around Hudson Bay (the reason behind the second half of its Latin name). The American red squirrel is primarily a “granivore”, which means it loves to eat seeds, but will incorporate whatever else it can find that’s edible for a squirrel, such as mushrooms, willow leaves, and even birds’ eggs and leverets (very young snowshoe hares). These creatures are very anti-social and territorial, getting together only to mate. and competing harshly with each other for living space. It’s a tough life for a red squirrel, so we should give as much space to these creatures as possible, so they can live and flourish.
To tell the red squirrel apart from other squirrel-folk, click to this primer by the Nature Mapping Foundation from the State of Washington.
Compared to the red squirrel, the river otter has a wider, more varied diet and, of course, can swim. Their fastidious, cleaning themselves up after eating, but it’s still a hard life for these creatures in the wild. Typically, they live for 10 years; in captivity, their average lifespan increases to the range of 10-15 years. They need clean rivers in which to thrive, which means that the lands and wetlands beside those rivers should be preserved and protected. Check out this page from the Nature Mapping Foundation for more river otter facts.
So, who gets your support in this match-up between tree dweller and river-runner? Your votes decide who goes on to round two. The loser goes back to their nest, hopefully in a protected natural area, such as the lands that rare stewards. Vote now!