A Squirrelly Survivor

Posted on March 23, 2014 | 10 Comments

Mary Maynard sent this photo from Green’s Farms:

albino squirrel

She saw the albino squirrel last year too.

Defying all the natural selection odds, he — or she — is a survivor.

This entry was posted in Totally random and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

10 responses to “A Squirrelly Survivor”

  1. Evan Stein | March 23, 2014 at 12:06 pm |

    This doesn’t defy natural selection, it proves it. The town has been white for months.

  2. Gary Abshire | March 23, 2014 at 12:08 pm |

    Wow!! I’ve never seen a white one!

  4. olgabanwar | March 23, 2014 at 12:21 pm |

    hahaha whhhattt? Its white!? im so confused. Does it fly too? 🙂 http://x.co/483Rz

  5. Rindy Higgins | March 23, 2014 at 12:23 pm |

    Does it have pink or blue eyes? If so, then it is a true albino. Only a few white squirrels are albinos; they lack the gene for the pigment melanin; it’s a recessive trait, meaning that both parents have to carry it. Albino squirrels can’t see well and are therefore at a disadvantage in the wild, making survival a challenge and increasing chances of being selected out. White squirrels with dark eyes are variants of the Eastern gray squirrel, or Sciurus carolinensi, which is not uncommon. That being said, I have never seen one either! Capitalizing on what Evan said, perhaps they have been hiding out in all our snow!

  6. Rich Stein | March 23, 2014 at 12:31 pm |

    Interestingly London has Red Squirrels and the Bronx and other parts of Southern Westchester and NYC have black Squirrels… Gray is the norm but wow albino

  7. Janice P. Marcus | March 23, 2014 at 2:11 pm |

    We have an Albino squirrel in the Oakwood Lane area, also!
    Or, do squirrels’ territories stretch as far as from the former Three Bears Restaurant on Newtown Turnpike to Greens Farms? “Ours” has been around for about three years and is very aggressive. Of course, I assume that, like many animals, squirrels are colorblind, but I would imagine that the other squirrels can discern that this one is at least a lighter shade.
    What’s more, we have seen a number of coal-black squirrels, as well, including one with a bright rust-hued tail!
    Jan Marcus

  8. Nancy Powers Conklin | March 23, 2014 at 3:39 pm |

    When we lived on Cascade Drive in Fairfield in the 90s, we used to have an albino squirrel come up on our deck constantly, eating acorns and hiding them in the fall. It was a constant visitor to our yard.

  9. Chris Herrmann | March 23, 2014 at 6:20 pm |

    Over here by The Red Barn at exit 41, we have all four varieties – red, black, grey and a solitary white squirrel. Not albino though. Seems to do just fine and has managed to not become dinner for one of the red tailed hawks who make a good living in our neighborhood.

  10. Chuck Greenlee | May 5, 2014 at 7:39 am |

    A male white Leucistic (Grey Squirrel) has been around west of Red Barn area for past several years. Very dominant over other greys and occasional blacks and reds.
    Sometimes will not be seen for months on end but so far coyotes and hawks haven’t been successful.