White Squirrel

[Burnt Ash]

We have a snow white squirrel in our wood this winter. I first saw it several weeks ago, but then didn't see it for a while until just half-an-hour ago, when I went out with the dogs.

Albinism is quite common in mammals and birds, but I can't recall seeing an albino grey squirrel before. Apparently, they're not uncommon in North America and are even protected in some states, including Illinois. Olney (not the one in Buckinghamshire) is famous for them.

Burnt Ash

 

[jakunen]

Never seen one either, although I used to see an albino blackbird on the bird reserve for a while.

Any pics?

 

[tomtom]

natural selection.. the reason you don't see vary many is cos they don't last very long!

 

[jakunen]

natural selection.. the reason you don't see vary many is cos they don't last very long!

I knwo, just as an melanistic creature doesn't last long in polar/artic regions.

Except for penguins:?:

 

[Realgar]

I've seen a leucistic crow - beige in feathers and beak, that's the only wild colour mutant I've seen, one of the fishing guys once landed a nicely albino pike

take a peek at this:

http://www.kostich.com/white_alligator.htm

Can't see that thing doing too well at ambushes...

 

[jakunen]

I dunno, a nice muddy river...

Looking at the pic he looks a few years old so he's obviously managed ok. If the pic was taken in the wild that is...

Not heard on 'leucistic'. I only know Albinistic (no pigmenation), hemi-albinistic (sub-normal pigmentation), normal, hemi-melanistic (semi-dark pigmentation), and melanistic (black pigmentation). Which begs the question - what do you call a melanistic blackbird???

 

[match]

Courtesy of a Google Image search:

Looks kinda funny to me...