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-   -   what color are your squirrels? (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=12506)

Shawnee123 11-22-2006 10:59 AM

what color are your squirrels?
 
In this area most are grey. We have some white ones. People say they're albino but I argue that albinism is a recessive gene, and very rare, so there wouldn't be so many of them. Also, their eyes aren't pink.

I have seen black squirrels in the Lake Erie region.

I saw a red and white one, too. My ex had found it and taken a picture because we had never seen a bi-colored squirrel before. I was all like "how cute" until I realized it was all sprawled out because he found it dead.

Squirrel colors seem to be geographically determined, so what do you have in your area? I'm hoping to get a grant to do a Cellar Study of the Geographical Determinations of Squirrel Pigmenation.

Spexxvet 11-22-2006 11:06 AM

Around here - grey

At the shore - black

I've seen the red ones, too, but I can't recall where.

DanaC 11-22-2006 11:18 AM

The ones that scamper about our campus, look grey, but with red across their backs and the top of their tails. I don't know if that means they're red squirrels or grey squirrels. Supposedly our native red squirrels have been all but wiped out by the grey immigrants:P

marichiko 11-22-2006 11:47 AM

Our native squirrel is the black Abert's squirrel. You mostly see them out in the wild. In the towns the red squirrel has become dominent. Red squirrels are NOT native and got here from the Eastern US, following the towns. They are a regular nuisance!

DanaC 11-22-2006 12:26 PM

Reds are native to Britain, not sure where the greys came from, but over the last 40-50 years numbers of Reds have dropped significantly.

Elspode 11-22-2006 12:46 PM

Mostly light brown, trending to red. I saw jet black squirrels in Colorado once. I even have a pic at home, I think.

From what I can tell on the road, though, they're all red on the inside.

wolf 11-22-2006 12:49 PM

Gray and Black at home. At work we have a couple of White Squirrels. I have to keep telling patients they are really seeing them.

Shawnee123 11-22-2006 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolf
I have to keep telling patients they are really seeing them.

Awesome! :)

Happy Monkey 11-22-2006 03:00 PM

Gray and Black here.

ferret88 11-22-2006 03:08 PM

The ones her are ...um...earth-tones? You know... tans, browns, the like.

Griff 11-22-2006 03:23 PM

gray and red here. We see the occasional flying type and I thought I saw a black up the road a piece but they are not sposed to be here.

marichiko 11-22-2006 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elspode
Mostly light brown, trending to red. I saw jet black squirrels in Colorado once. I even have a pic at home, I think.

Yeah our native Colorado black squirrels are cool. They even have tufted ears!

Shawnee123 11-22-2006 03:38 PM

The black squirrels look really great.
Has anyone else ever seen the bi-colored ones?

(Careful, I hear bi-colored squirrels are pushing for bi-colored marriage legislation.)<----couldn't help myself.

Hoof Hearted 11-22-2006 03:53 PM

Gray squirrels here. The ones in CA where I grew up were a sandy brown color, but they were ground squirrels. The ones here in GA are tree squirrels.

I recently saw pics of what looked like a "pinto" marked deer, red with white splotches. I would venture to say that the mismarked white are recessive genes and the lack of carniverous predators to seek out the 'different' and human hunters to seek the 'perfect' are what are allowing these mutations to proliferate.

Isn't there a town that advertises their "white squirrels" as a bit of a tourist attraction?
hh

Shawnee123 11-22-2006 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoof Hearted
Isn't there a town that advertises their "white squirrels" as a bit of a tourist attraction?
hh

Yes, there are, HH. I was looking this up earlier and saw a few towns who tout their "albino" squirrel population. Funny enough, some of these folks went on and on about their albino squirrels, saying the only difference was their eyes are black.

It's been a few years since college biology and Punnet Squares (I loved those) but I believe albinism is a complete lack of pigment, including the eyes (which would look pink.) Any biologists know for sure?


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