5 ms·
Take a detour into Transylvania County and look for white squirrels.
by glonq 4y ago
Take a detour into Transylvania County and look for white squirrels.
- arthurcolle 4y agoThere are white squirrels?
- samch 4y agoYep! The area around Brevard, NC has a native population. They’re really neat to see. I’ve always wondered how they made it from an evolutionary standpoint. They definitely stand out!
- akiselev 4y agoYour sibling comment has a link with several theories: The color might be a fluke from a small founding population of squirrels that was just genetically more fit in unrelated ways. Or the biggest threat to squirrels might not be predators but automobiles and the white color increases their visibility especially contrasted against asphalt. The most interesting theory is that predators like hawks simply don't recognize white animals as prey, which is pretty crazy in my opinion. The page shares an anecdote that sometimes visiting dogs would chase gray squirrels but not the white ones.
- arthurcolle 4y agoNice I am in South Florida so if I am ever up there I will have to check them out. So they are all legit albino squirrels?
- oflannabhra 4y agoThere sure are! https://whitesquirrelinstitute.org/white-squirrel-research-institute/what-is-a-white-squirrel https://whitesquirrelinstitute.org/white-squirrel-research-i...
- christophilus 4y agoOh, wow. We might have one in our neighborhood (in upstate SC). I always assumed it was an albino, but it doesn’t have pink eyes.
- taharoto 4y agoHey Chris! Do you happen to own the sst package?