Albino squirrel

[urbpan]

We saw the famous white squirrel of Jamaica Pond yesterday. We were riding by on our bikes, I was babbling about something when I saw it, and said "HEY white squirrel!!" in a voice loud enough that ensures that I will scare Bigfoot away when I see him. The squirrel acted normal enough. cottonmanifesto managed this photo while still mounted on Fizzy (her bike). She handed the camera to me and I completely muffed my (relatively long) opportunity to get a closer shot. I skulked over to one side of it, it ran toward a tree, a nearby dog barked, the squirrel shot up the tree to where it could not be photographed.

Comments

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, he's CUUTTE!!! Where exactly did you see him? I'll be around Franklin Park tomorrow, so I could go on my own squirrel photo hunt!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

It was near the boathouse, on the North side (toward Boston proper).

[vampyrusgirl.livejournal.com]

I'll be at the zoo, and I've never been to the Jamaica Pond area - if I have time I'll take a walk and go look!

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The boathouse is the only building on the pond's park grounds--they sell ice cream sandwiches there, and the bathrooms are there. If you are facing the building with the street to your back, you head toward the right to get to where we saw the squirrel (maybe 500 feet fromt the building). I dunno how big it's territory is, but we go there pretty often and this was the first time we saw it. Granted, it's the first time we've been there in weeks without the dogs...

[queenc2346.livejournal.com]

We have a white squirrel at work, I saw him the other day! They're supposed to be good luck!

And they're cute :).

-Carrie.

[rwblackbird.livejournal.com]

As a child, I caught an albino squirrel in a Montreal suburb.

I suppose as it was unique it had received more than it’s fair share of attention, and was used to being coaxed to come up close for food. So it was pretty easy to touch.

[aemiis-zoo.livejournal.com]

How cute! I have never seen an albino squirrel. I would think that they would have a selective disadvantage in the wild. *shrug*

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

They do, for sure. But in the city, predators are at a disadvantage: they are usually shy of humans, or nocturnal. There are red-tailed hawks (but I don't think they are very successful hunting squirrels--usually I see them eating other birds), red foxes (usually nocturnal and not too common in this area) and coyotes (nocturnal here).

Still, it's been seen around for at least two years, which is pretty good for a prey animal that sticks out so much. I'm sure it gets preferential feeding from humans, which helps.

[zipotle.livejournal.com]

That is FREAKING AWESOME!

I'm afraid of squirrels now that I found out that the ones here might be carrying plague fleas.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

You shouldn't have to worry about plague fleas unless the squirrels are actually in your house.

[anais2.livejournal.com]

That's the first white squirrel I've seen in years! Where I grew up, in Illinois, we had mostly white squirrels; I thought it was a southern thing. Boston has 'em, too- Cool.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Did you grow up in Olney? It's not a southern thing, it's a deliberate act of introducing exotic colored animals, and in some cases, trapping and destroying gray ones: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/squirrels.html

This is the only one I've ever seen, Boston or anywhere. We have some black ones, but as aemii's_zoo hints above, white is much more of a disadvantage. (plus as albinos, it must hurt their eyes to be out on bright days)

[anais2.livejournal.com]

Yes, right near there! I had no idea it was a known thing!
I guess they aren't all albinos, though?

[(Anonymous)]

complete rubbish!

Happy to be here

[(Anonymous)]

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