Comments on: 2006’s Top Ten White & Black Squirrels’ Hot Spots

by: PNWJaeger

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 10:16:50 +0000

I reside in Bellingham Washington (Whatcom County) & we seem to be over run by black squirrels. They first really started showing up about 7 or 8 years ago. Now it seems like a common occurrence.
I see them almost daily around the house (much to my collie’s chagrin).
One that I’ve seen only once or twice was unusual however in that the tip of its tail was white, resembling a fox’s tail. Is this common, or perhaps some sort of genetic throwback to its white counterpart?
I’ve never seen white squirrels around here by the way.

by: Loren Coleman

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 14:01:26 +0000

No, of course, not.

Black and white squirrels are not cryptids.

This entire thread began as an exercise in people identifying and seeing if they could photograph a known and easy-to-identify population of animals that remain elusive to many.

In others, skeptics say that with so many cellphone cameras the number of Bigfoot photos should be increasing. But the challenge was, hey, how easy is it to even find and photograph b & w squirrels.

Thus the thread developed about where they are and how easy are they to see.

by: PLeary

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:11:42 +0000

Black squirrels are considered a cryptid?

Dear Loren,

Upon my first lengthy purview of your great and fascinating Web site, I came across the White and Black squirrel top 10 article. I admit I am shocked that the black squirrel is a cryptid.

In 2002, my wife, toddler daughter and I traded our Florida home for 3 months with a couple from Vancouver, BC, specifically in a small community on the enclave of Horseshow Bay. The ONLY squirrels — and they were plentiful — we ever saw there were jet black. Being a native East Coaster I was only familiar with the bold grey squirrels. I had never seen a black squirrel, nor had my wife. These were striking and a bit furrier than their eastern cousins (though it was winter). The guys also seemed a tad more reticent than the grey squirrels. We assumed these black squirrels were de rigour all over Vancouver as they were ever present in the many forests and parks we visited over the three months.

Interestingly, now I live in Mountain View, CA (roughly between San Francisco and San Jose) and just Wednesday I saw my first U.S. black squirrel in a tree behind my office. My first thought was pleasant surprise since I regard the blacks as novel and interesting (at least compared to the grey squirrels I grew up with). If you are interested in a photo, I am sure I can capture one on camera since the little habitat behind my office is just a patch of trees squeezed between light industrial/warehousing buildings and that squirrel may call that home.

by: dmirro

Sun, 25 Feb 2007 19:24:21 +0000

Thank you for the list–it validates what I saw last week, up here in the borderlands between the USA and Canada. I was driving through Sumas when I saw a black squirrel on someone’s front lawn. Now that I know they are here, I’ll try to get a photo to send in, preferably of one standing in front of a “Welcome to Sumas” sign.

So now I have yet another critter to keep an eye out for, in addition to the Bald Eagles, Gyrfalcons and Trumpeter Swans…oh yes, and Sasquatch…I love Whatcom County!

by: jdejon1

Tue, 02 Jan 2007 17:15:56 +0000

I recently raised a baby white squirrel myself.

Here is his photo album if you want to see any pictures of him. His name is Wiki, he’s cute as heck.

He’s off at a wild-life rehab center in Covington, LA now where he can live with the other squirrels. But for the first two months of his life, I was his father.

He is in fact an albino squirrel.

by: jstar

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 19:03:07 +0000

I used to live in London, ON (Black squirrels - #4). Its interesting that Exeter, ON (White squirrels - #4) is only about a 30-40 min walk from there. You might think the populations would breed each other out.

by: ilexoak

Wed, 13 Dec 2006 12:05:44 +0000

Yes, I lived in St. Paul for 6 years and white squirrels were everywhere especially near Lake Calhoun? on the Minneapolis side. Never saw a black one there.

There are plenty of fox Squirrels on the eastern shore of Maryland, though. They’re big fellas with cool fancy ear tufts and their patches of red!

Wayne

by: sansimeongirl

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 18:45:21 +0000

Excuse me, these are rare? I commonly see both white and black squirrels running around in my Saint Paul, Minnesota neighborhood. They barely merit a second glance anymore, they are so common.

by: ZooPhotoGirl

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 18:11:40 +0000

I have heard about black & white squirrels, before. However I didn’t know there were so many different populations of them spread all over the place.

I just wanted to add my story.

My fiancee & I were walking our dog through the park where we live in Boston. When out in front of us there was a black squirrel! It was so neat seeing one. Also, my father works in Boston, and he saw a black squirrel a few days later. We’re not sure if it was the same one but, it was near where we live.

So now you know there have been black squirrel sightings in the South End, of Boston Mass.

by: MajorTom

Tue, 12 Dec 2006 17:23:34 +0000

Thanks for the lead on black and white squirrels; very helpful. Gilchrist County Florida is home to a number of black squirrel. For those who are interested, I often see these guys driving along the forested portions of U.S. Highway 129. Good Luck