I came to ask, are they supposed to be a different color? I have only ever seen them be black or very dark. Lived in southern Ontario most of my life though.
The Black squirrels in Ontario and Western NY are just melanistic Eastern Grey Squirrels. First time I ever saw one was while visiting Niagara Falls on the American side. I occasionally see them further into NY, but they're mostly a regional thing. I think the melanistic genetics are just very dominant.
So I moved from the Southern US to more North in the past few years. Where I came from, I only ever saw brown squirrels. Moved here and I saw brown, black, and all tones in between. I thought it was just a unique place but I realized they’re just more prevalent up here.
i was gonna ask bc like… i feel like literally every other squirrel here is pure black fur and i live in southern ontario. its crazy to me that this is not normal elsewhere? it’s so prevalent that they’re what i think of when someone says to think of a squirrel.
its a near-canada experience to see black squirrels. took a tour around niagara and the guide said the black squirrels are native canadians but can be found a few miles away from the border. saw them 90 miles away from the border in my uni town. i miss the black squirrels
Because of our influence, we isolate certain populations. If the gene is existing in a population with higher density to the recessive trait, that will certainly make it pop up more frequent
I saw an article that pointed at Omaha as having more and more black squirrels. One of the biologists they talked to speculated that if natural selection is in play it may be because the darker color keeps them warmer during winter time.
The squirrels in my backyard have had three litters this summer. From that I have pure black, red and black all black with a red tail and one that's kind of a brindle color.
More common in northern populations across Ontario and the upper Midwest where temps are cold. Squirrels flatten out on branches to sun themselves to keep warm in winter. Being black helps
That tripped me out when I moved there for a few years as a teen. Back in America now and half the time people don't believe me when I say Canada has black squirrels.
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u/FrownBuzzy 9h ago
Toronto has black squirrels