My First Photo Of A White Squirrel

[Scott Whaley]

I was in Dayton, OH over the weekend photographing some of the tornado damage from back in May. I ran onto this white squirrel. I have never seen one much less photographed one. Are they common?

 

[smoke665]

Apparently more common then you would think. Most, like the coal black ones we have around here are caused by a gene mutation. The black ones started showing up here about 5 years ago at an RV park frequented by snowbirds. I live about 10 miles away, and this year I saw our first black one in the woods. Interesting because there's a busy interstate and a river between us.

 

[Scott Whaley]

I have seen black ones up in Michigan and in Canada. They are common up there.

 

[CherylL]

So strange to see a white squirrel. Great catch!

 

[Jeff15]

Nice shot..........

 

[Fred von den Berg]

Nice photo. Is this an albino or is there a type of squirrel that is white?

 

[Scott Whaley]

I don't know. My wife seems to think so.

 

[K9Kirk]

Nice pic! Sort of resembled a white ferret instead 'at first glance', my youngest brother had one and I thought of it when I saw the pic. here's a little info on them in case no one has found any yet .... (BTW, there is a section on the site that allows you to map where you spotted a white squirrel.)Albino and White Squirrels: US location Map

 

[Designer]

There is at least one neighborhood in Minneapolis that has some white squirrels. They are not albino.

 

[jcdeboever]

I seen one once but can't remember where. We had a lot of black ones in Detroit.

 

[Amocholes]

I live just north of Dayton in the little town of Medway. We have a few white ones in the area I'm in. They are in the same family as the grey bushy-tailed forest rat.

 

[vintagesnaps]

They're in my area, I'm more or less in between Dayton and Cincinnati. Have seen one/more than one? and for a while had one in and out of the backyard - but if I even thought about getting a camera it would dart into the bushes & trees. Finally got some pictures of one across the street but couldn't get too close.

They've been seen in and around our small town. Seems to be too many of them just to be a genetic albino thing, it must be a species. I guess... They're kind of cool to see.

 

[smoke665]

They're in my area, I'm more or less in between Dayton and Cincinnati. Have seen one/more than one? and for a while had one in and out of the backyard - but if I even thought about getting a camera it would dart into the bushes & trees. Finally got some pictures of one across the street but couldn't get too close.

They've been seen in and around our small town. Seems to be too many of them just to be a genetic albino thing, it must be a species. I guess... They're kind of cool to see.

The Eastern Gray Squirrel carries the gene for both white and black coat. A white squirrel has dark eyes, while an albino squirrel has red eyes. Black seems to be a more dominate gene across the country and white seems to be more limited by natural selection. Predators can see the white squirrel better then black or gray. Some information on them. The White and Albino Squirrel Phenomenon + New US Maps!