Black squirrels

[reznap]

I think these are unique to Ohio.. because I've never seen one anywhere else. You guys let me know..

Nothing special photo-wise..

 

[pbelarge]

reznap

Do you know how black squirrels came to be?

This is an evolution thing...

 

[reznap]

He's cute! I want one!!!!

...I have never seen a black squirrel in PA........ I've seen an ALBINO squirrel... where I used to work... I named him Frank.... but I've never seen a black one. :sillysmi:

These pictures don't do them justice... wish I could have got one of a black next to a red/brown one. They're DARK and very eye-catching.

 

[reznap]

reznap

Do you know how black squirrels came to be?

This is an evolution thing...

I heard some BS story about them being bred at a nearby college. Care to enlighten me?

 

[Phranquey]

I've seen an ALBINO squirrel... where I used to work... I named him Frank

layball:



Here's another Ohio native...

 

[reznap]

I've seen an ALBINO squirrel... where I used to work... I named him Frank

layball:

haha, what? Did I say something unintentionally offensive??? :scratch:

Not like you named him "Milky"

---Me Myself & Irene reference... no offense intended, lol.

EDIT: Ohhh I see, his name "Phranquey" = "Frankie"

 

[pbelarge]

Enlightenment Cometh


During the industrial revolution, vast amounts of smog produced tons of soot that clung to the bark of trees (buldings as well), making the bark darker in color. the squirrels in the worst offended areas evolved with a darker coat to help protect/hide them from predators.

 

[Phranquey]

Enlightenment Cometh

:thumbup:

 

[klotzishere20]

There are a quite a few black squirrels in wisconsin

 

[AnneRiceBowl]

I currently live in Nebraska, and I saw a black squirrel on my way to work one morning and almost ran the poor thing over.

Also, there is such a thing as "melanism", which is a high amount of pigmentation. This is why cats are solid black, black leopards, black panthers, and other animals in the animal kingdom that are black.

 

[K8-90]

Since moving to Ontario, ALL the squirrels I've seen are black!

 

[Josh220]

That's really cool. I have seen dozens of squirrel species but never a black one.

If you see these frequently near your house I would keep practicing on them. Perfect subjects to work on the focus, especially the eyes!

 

[LaFoto]

Unfortunately, one couple of American Grey Squirrels (sciurus carolinensis), who can vary in colour from a light grey to a very dark, almost black grey, was introduced to Cheshire/UK in 1876, and now, 134 years later, the population of European Red Squirrels has almost entirely vanished from the British Isles, and Red Squirrels in other European countries may undergo the same fate now.

 

[ceige]

We have both grey and black in the boston area......red in NH

 

[nate_mcnasty]

Enlightenment Cometh


During the industrial revolution, vast amounts of smog produced tons of soot that clung to the bark of trees (buldings as well), making the bark darker in color. the squirrels in the worst offended areas evolved with a darker coat to help protect/hide them from predators.

this is taken from Wikipedia "Today, the black subgroup is particularly abundant in the northern part of the Eastern Grey Squirrel's range.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel#cite_note-3 This is likely due to the significantly increased cold tolerance of black individuals which lose less heat than greys.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_squirrel#cite_note-4Black individuals also enjoy visibility advantages in denser northern forests"

i think your thinking of a the peppered moth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppered_moth_evolution