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Saw my first black squirrel
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Posted by bean_counter_z4 Zone 4, Rkfd,IL (My Page) on Mon, Jan 15, 07 at 10:27
| Sunday afternoon. What a beautiful little guy. We live in north central Illinois where the greys are very common but few blacks.
On another web site it mentioned that blacks may be more prone to predation because their color makes them stand out more than the greys. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Saw my first black squirrel
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| They're neat, aren't they? There is a high percentage of black squirrels on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo. In Jackson, MI I've seen some that are almost white. |
RE: Saw my first black squirrel
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| Loads of them in the Berkshires of Massachusetts as well. |
RE: Saw my first black squirrel
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| They are really neat little critters! Only problem I have seen with them is that sometimes they can be mean and chase off other kinds of squirels. |
RE: Saw my first black squirrel
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| Black squirrels are no "meaner" than any other. They are the same species as the common grey squirrel, only difference is that they are a color mutation. So yes, like the greys, they will dominate smaller species, but one color is no more agressive than another. |
RE: Saw my first black squirrel
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| The correct term would be melanism. It's an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation. I just learned about it yesterday ;) |
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