Squirrel

Squirrel (松鼠），　literally meaning pine tree mouse is sometime depicted as a symbol of longevity due to its association with the pine tree (a symbol of longevity and endurance).　

It is usually represented in the design with grapes to convey wishes of long life.  It is based on homophone of squirrel, songshu (松鼠），the first character song, sounding the same as that for pine tree.  The grape is pronounced as pudao （葡萄），the pronunciation of the second character is the same as that for peach (桃）.  Pine and peach are symbols of longevity and the vine convey the meaning of endless.