Invasive Alien Species in Belgium: Callosciurus erythraeus

Naturalization in Belgium

First observation in the wild:	2005
Invasion stage:	naturalization
Spatial distribution:	isolated

Invasiveness

Reproduction in the wild:	yes
Dispersion potential:	high
Natural habitats:	high

More on invasiveness: Pallas's squirrel lives in deciduous and conifer forests, parks and gardens, both in suburban and rural areas. In France, it is very abundant in the gardens at Cap d'Antibes. Its maximum dispersal distance is about 5 km/year.

Distribution in Belgium

Established populations Biogeographic areas where the species is known to be established in the wild

	absent from district
	isolated populations (1-5 localities per district)
	widespread (>5 localities per district)

Impacts on Species

Predation / Herbivory:	likely
Competition:	high
Disease transmission:	likely
Genetic effects:	unknown

Impacts on Ecosystems

Nutrient cycling:	low
Physical alteration:	medium
Natural successions:	unknown
Food web alteration:	unknown

More on impacts: Pallas's squirrel may achieve high population densities (5-10 individuals/hectare). It has similar food habits as the native red squirrel and seems able to outcompete it. Pallas's squirrel has been observed eating bird eggs. It damages trees in forests, parks and gardens by bark stripping and may be the cause of substantial economic loss of profit in tree plantations.

Data Source & References

Authors:	Branquart Etienne, Licoppe Alain, Motte Grégory, Schockert Vinciane, Stuyck Jan
Published on:	23 March 2009
Last update:	11 December 2013

References:

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Invasion history and control of a Pallas squirrel Callosciurus erythraeus population in Dadizele, Belgium.

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