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-   -   August 26(B), 2008 : Princeton Black squirrel (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=17959)

bigw00dy 08-26-2008 12:30 PM

August 26(B), 2008 : Princeton Black squirrel
 
While in Princeton doing some work, this little guy came over to check me out. I was doing to the same to him, but I had a camera....

Are these more common than I think?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/...64049c2103.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/...03684f04e6.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3153/...3fd4dde8d0.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/...80bee3ebc2.jpg

I heard they may also be found roaming one or both of the Carolina's.

Shawnee123 08-26-2008 12:41 PM

I've seen black squirrels in the Lake Erie area.

We have some white ones around here.

I wish I could find a picture my ex took of a squirrel he found at work one day. It was bi-colored...whitish with a pattern of reddish brown, like a dog. It was dead as hell, but I have not before or since seen a squirrel like that one.

edit: after I posted this I googled squirrel colors and the first hit was this from the Cellar:

http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=12506

Undertoad 08-26-2008 12:48 PM

I'm not racist.

Shawnee123 08-26-2008 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad (Post 478313)
I'm not racist.

But do you believe black squirrels should get reparations?:unsure: :bolt:

birdclaw 08-26-2008 01:09 PM

Blackened squirrel? I have always liked Cajun food. :drool:

LabRat 08-26-2008 01:10 PM

I have occasionally seen black ones in Iowa City, though Grey seem to be much more popular around campus. The first time I saw one, I wasn't sure what it was. We also have Fox squirrels. There are a couple huge Fox squirrels that live in the neighbor's trees behind us that we often watch from our kitchen tearing around our backyards chasing each other. I love them, endless free entertainment.

Juniper 08-26-2008 01:27 PM

There are pockets of black squirrels here and there.

Glendale, a suburb of Cincinnati, has black squirrels. Here is an article I found from the local paper:

Quote:

What's the story behind Glendale's black squirrels?

• Thomas Carruthers III, a Glendale businessman, brought two pairs of black squirrels to the village from the resort town of Harbor Springs, Mich., in the 1940s, says his son, Tom Carruthers IV.

"He just thought it'd be fun to bring them down here," he says.

Within two weeks, one was shot and its pelt hung up at what is now the Glendale Gaslight Cafe, Carruthers says. Evidently, some combination of the other three went forth and multiplied.

• Black squirrels are Eastern gray squirrels that have a genetic variation called melanism, says Thane Maynard, vice president of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Melanism is the opposite of the rarer condition of albinism, which is the lack of pigment, he says.

Black squirrels and gray squirrels can interbreed, and contrary to popular Glendale belief, melanism is a recessive trait, Maynard says.

• Black squirrels can be found in other areas of the country, including northern Michigan; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Marysville, Kan.; and Kent, Ohio, according to www.roadsideamerica.com.

Marysville has adopted the black squirrel as its official mascot, adopted a "Black Squirrel Song" as its official anthem and holds an annual Black Squirrel Celebration.

Kent State University holds an annual black squirrel festival. London, Ontario, also a hot spot, has a black squirrel Web site, screensaver and downloadable song (www.victoria-park.com/mp3.htm) .

• Five competing towns - Olney, Ill.; Marionville, Mo.; Kenton, Tenn.; Brevard, N.C.; and Exeter, Ontario - all pride themselves on their white squirrel populations and celebrate them with festivals, songs and in some cases, laws.

• To Glendale officials' knowledge, no one has ever taken a census of the village's black squirrels. Any takers?
The neighborhood where I grew up has white squirrels, too, though I never remember seeing them till after I moved away. My mom said she saw them all the time.

HungLikeJesus 08-26-2008 02:00 PM

We have Abert squirrels in Colorado. They're big and black and have bunny ears.

Clodfobble 08-26-2008 02:01 PM

Yes, it's rare now, but as industrialism spreads the lighter-colored squirrels will stand out more in the trees, and the black squirrel population will flourish.

lookout123 08-26-2008 02:03 PM

so what you're saying is, these black squirrels were bused in?

WillieO 08-26-2008 02:13 PM

I'm all for Black squirrels in Higher education. I just want to be sure that a under achiving squirrel did not take the seat of deserving Light Brown squirrel simply based on the color of his or her skin,...er fur.

sweetwater 08-26-2008 03:21 PM

Mostly scrawny grey squirrels here (Texas) but I have seen black squirrels. I was living in Canada and saw sinister black shadows loping through the trees. Even after I recognized their squirrel shapes it took me a bit to realize it was the actual squirrel, and not the evil vengeful ghosts from a million road kills. The only white squirrels I have seen were stuffed ones.

Trilby 08-26-2008 04:02 PM

HA! Good one, WillieO! :lol:

I've seen white and grey squirrels but never a black or brown one.
Surprisingly, for a cluttered suburb, we have a lot of coyotes, foxes, falcons and hawks.

Trilby 08-26-2008 04:02 PM

PS. That looks like some sort of Devil Squirrel to me. Look at it's eyes!

ZenGum 08-26-2008 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lookout123 (Post 478328)
so what you're saying is, these black squirrels were bused in?

Yes, but they had to sit at the back.

Stonan 08-26-2008 09:31 PM

Come to Vancouver, British Columbia. We have black and gray ones all over the place. My Jack Russell terrier keeps 'em running!

monster 08-26-2008 10:18 PM

We have Squirrels of Color here too. There are more 40 miles away in Canada. Rumors that they went over to visit the casinos and drink and were not allowed back into the US due to the terrism-related tightening of border controls are unconfirmed.

newtimer 08-26-2008 10:32 PM

Now, comrades, we have all seen Squirrel. But where is Moose?

darkwing duck 08-26-2008 10:41 PM

Washington, DC has quite a few of them, too. From a story I read in the Post, they were originally brought down from Canada to go in the National Zoo. (apparently they didn't stay there.)

xoxoxoBruce 08-27-2008 12:33 AM

Yeadon, PA has had black ones for years, but they don't seem to have migrated into the surrounding burbs.

Ibby 08-27-2008 02:42 AM

UMD is full of them...

http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/phot...96545_5206.jpg

SPUCK 08-27-2008 04:56 AM

We usually have about three squirrels that hang out in our walnut tree and bomb the crap out've us when ever we try to barbecue.

Last time as shredded walnut husks poured down on me I took the garden hose to him. He moved about 2 feet to the side and the raining husks never even slowed down. Anyway last year we had a coal black squirrel as one of the crew. Much blacker than either of the above ones. Haven't seen him this year.. Maybe a hawk saw him first.

Sundae 08-27-2008 05:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Juniper (Post 478320)
There are pockets of black squirrels here and there.

Don't keep them there! They'll go for your nuts :headshake

spudcon 08-27-2008 07:39 AM

:D
Quote:

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl (Post 478534)
Don't keep them there! They'll go for your nuts

Good one!:D

dar512 08-27-2008 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibram (Post 478530)
UMD is full of them...

University of Mass Destruction?

wolf 08-27-2008 12:27 PM

There was a black squirrel that used to raid my birdfeeder at my old townhome, and there are white squirrels at work. The campus is known for them.

Bullitt 08-27-2008 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by birdclaw (Post 478315)
Blackened squirrel? I have always liked Cajun food. :drool:

not as tasty looking as you'd think
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f8...603_5934-1.jpg

This one got in a fight with an electrical step-down transformer on campus.. he came, he grabbed, he couldn't let go.

tombstone 08-27-2008 01:17 PM

Re: "While in Princeton, doing some work, this little guy came over to check me out." So--what sort of work was this little guy doing in Princeton?

Trilby 08-27-2008 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf (Post 478648)
...there are white squirrels at work. The campus is known for them.

I recall some white deer around your campus as well.

Do you attach any mystical significance to this?

Coz I do.

lookout123 08-27-2008 01:23 PM

oh sure, the white ones are all important and powerful... where's the aclu when you need them?

wolf 08-27-2008 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brianna (Post 478675)
I recall some white deer around your campus as well.

Do you attach any mystical significance to this?

Coz I do.

Possibly.

Most folks, however, attribute it to the Haldol and Thorazine in the groundwater.

hipshot 08-27-2008 07:49 PM

"little guy"? Take a closer look at that "little guy's" belly. :neutral:
That there's a MAMA squirrel!!!!!!! :blush:
Now, the question is, are the little one's black?:eyebrow:

TheMercenary 08-27-2008 08:36 PM

Lots of people eat squirrels around here.

Etoile 08-27-2008 09:47 PM

I'm new to the Cellar, I signed up for one specific reason: to share my albino squirrel pictures. She was a mama too, actually. Sorry the pictures aren't better, this was pre-digital camera!
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/87...0293b599_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/43/87...6ae02f20_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/36/87...e5b6940f_o.jpg
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/40/87...a7274b50_o.jpg

wolf 08-28-2008 12:52 PM

Yikes, Demon Squirrels!

frankchicarelli 08-28-2008 02:32 PM

pressed squirrel
 
This morning, my wife told me there was a dead squirrel at the end of the driveway. 20 minutes later when I was leaving for work, I saw that he was still alive. Just barely. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and would never be able to walk again. So guess what I did with my car?

lookout123 08-28-2008 02:56 PM

drove him to the vet's?

Cloud 08-28-2008 03:29 PM

Etoile, very cute!

"Be like the squirrel!"

Aliantha 08-28-2008 04:37 PM

Welcome to the cellar Etoile, and thanks for sharing those pics with us. We don't have squirrels in my part of the world, so ordinary pictures of them are interesting to me, but to see a white one is awesome.

DanaC 08-28-2008 06:21 PM

Quote:

Quote:
Quote:

Originally Posted by Brianna
I recall some white deer around your campus as well.

Do you attach any mystical significance to this?

Coz I do.
Possibly.

Most folks, however, attribute it to the Haldol and Thorazine in the groundwater.
That made me laugh. I can imagine it being delivered deadpan.

Hallo Etoile! Thanks for sharing those with us. Welcome to the Cellar. Just one quick question:

What sauce would you recommend for albino squirrel? I mean, would you go for the same as usual, or something more more white winey?

Bibliomaniac 08-29-2008 11:30 PM

We used to live near Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue, Nebraska (next to Omaha) and often saw black, gray, and red squirrels. (That's three different kinds of squirrels--not tri-colored ones.)

Never saw a white one though. Thanks for the cool pics! :)

Hertzie 09-13-2008 11:14 AM

Lol, I seriously didn't think these were rare at all, but now that I think of it, when I go to the U.S. I barely see them. I live in Southern Ontario though and it's a rare day if you don't see one.


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