While certain locales have become known for their differently colored squirrels, you could actually see white squirrels or black squirrels anywhere squirrels are found. What’s going on? A white-coloured eastern gray squirrel. When they are white or black, they are difficult to miss. Some may appear noticeably lighter or darker. You might notice this if you closely observe the squirrels at your feeder. Like many mammals, the eastern gray squirrel exhibits a considerable variation in its coat coloration. And globally, tree squirrels come in a variety of striking colors and sizes – perhaps a topic for a future blog. It should be noted that other squirrel species (including the fox squirrel and red squirrel) also exhibit similar color variations. This article focuses on the eastern gray squirrel ( Sciurus carolinensis). This blog will offer some answers on these common mammals of uncommon color. How common are white squirrels and black squirrels? Is there an advantage to having this coloration? And why do strikingly colored squirrels appear clustered in certain small towns?
These towns typically have squirrel festivals, sell squirrel souvenirs and fiercely guard these animals.
This has given rise to “squirrel towns,” communities known for their white or black squirrels. In fact, these striking animals can earn almost celebrity status. And when a squirrel is white or black, people do pay attention. The gray squirrel is so familiar that most of us pay it little mind when it scurries around the neighborhood.īut sometimes gray squirrels are not gray. Gray squirrels have also been spread well beyond their original range to the western United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa and other parts of the world. The eastern gray squirrel is one of the most recognizable animals in North America, beloved by those who feed them peanuts in the city park and infamous among birders for their backyard feeder raids.
0 kommentar(er)
