August 26(B), 2008 : Princeton Black squirrel

[bigw00dy]

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?









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

[Shawnee123]

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]

I'm not racist.

[Shawnee123]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

I'm not racist.

But do you believe black squirrels should get reparations?

[birdclaw]

Blackened squirrel? I have always liked Cajun food.

[LabRat]

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]

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:

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]

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

[Clodfobble]

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]

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

[WillieO]

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]

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]

HA! Good one, WillieO!

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]

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

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by lookout123

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

Yes, but they had to sit at the back.