Red Squirrel

Obverse

a relief image of the National Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation and a semicircular inscription above it along the rim ‘РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ’ (RUSSIAN FEDERATION) framed with paired diamonds on both sides, under the coat of arms are the chemical symbol of the metal and fineness on the left and fine metal content and the mint trade mark on the right, at the bottom in the centre, in three lines, are an inscription ‘БАНК РОССИИ’ (BANK OF RUSSIA), the coin denomination ‘50 РУБЛЕЙ’ (50 RUBLES), and the year of issue ‘2023 г.’ (2023).

Reverse

a relief image of a squirrel and the relief inscription ‘СОХРАНИМ НАШ МИР’ (PROTECT OUR WORLD) on the left and on the right around the circumference.

Authors

Designers: E.V. Kramskaya (obverse), F.S. Andronov (reverse).
Sculptors: A.A. Dolgopolova (obverse), F.S. Andronov (reverse).
Mint: Saint Petersburg Mint (СПМД).
Edge: 134 corrugations.

Discover more

The red squirrel or Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is a rodent of the genus Sciurus.

There are up to 30 species in the genus Sciurus worldwide, but the red squirrel is the only species of the genus found in Russia. Squirrels are fast and have slender bodies. Their long and fluffy tails may reach 19 centimetres, making up two-thirds of the body length. Their body is up to 30 centimetres long, weighing no more than 400 grams.

This rodent has a round head with dark eyes looking like small beads and long ears with tufts of fur on the tips.

The red squirrel is a tree-living animal. Squirrels search for hollow trees to build their dreys lined with moss, dry grass and leaves. Their dreys can be up to 15 metres above the ground level in dense twigs. Dreys are ball-shaped and can be up to 30 centimetres in diameter.

Squirrels grow thicker fur before the winter, whereas their summer fur is shorter, thinner and stiffer. As many other furred animals, the squirrel sheds its coat twice a year, while its tail moults only once a year. The spring moult starts on the head, while the autumn moult starts at the base of the tail.

Red squirrels do not mark their dreys, which is why one nest can be inhabited by several animals. These rodents spend most of their time in the trees and tend to be most active in the morning and evening hours when they are looking for food. If squirrels feel any danger, they hide in the tree crowns. Squirrels easily jump from one tree branch to another, with the jump length of up to four metres horizontally and the descending distance of up to 15 metres. Squirrels use their tail as a steering wheel. In the winter months, squirrels mostly move in the trees. During the mating season, as well as when there is no snow, squirrels can move along the ground making long jumps.

When the weather is extremely cold or there are snowfalls and snowstorms, squirrels normally stay in their dreys getting out only when they are very hungry.

In August–September, young squirrels leave their natal dreys and move away from them at a distance of up to 70–300 kilometres. As little as 10% of squirrels in the wild live to the age of four. In captivity, these rodents may live as long as ten years.

Source: https://ar.culture.ru