Blue Squirrel

[Ninja-n-Bear]

I've seen all kinds of squirrels, having lived on both coasts, and have seen squirrels overseas. I'd never seen a blue one until moving to our current home. I looked it up and there's very little info beyond some speculation that it is a breed thought to be extinct. It has much longer, and higher-set ears than any other I've ever seen, and is less skittish/aggressive, as well. Has anyone else seen a blue squirrel like this?

 

[WitchyWoman]

Looks like a western gray squirrel to me.

 

[admin]

Have never seen one, but it's awesome!


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[Ninja-n-Bear]

Funny. When I searched 'grey squirrel' before I got images of the standard grey/buff colored ones. When I added 'western' to the search there were a few images of the so-grey-they're-blue ones.
Thanks, mystery solved!

 

[John Popp]

But Daddy, I want a Blue Squirrel!

 

[John Popp]

BTW, I thought I'd be able to find some of my whacky squirrel pictures but couldn't dig them up. Anyway, here's a picture of a red-tailed melanistic gray squirrel. They are all over the place near here, but only a few have a really defined red tail and the majority of them are straight up black or gray.

 

[Ninja-n-Bear]

BTW, I thought I'd be able to find some of my whacky squirrel pictures but couldn't dig them up. Anyway, here's a picture of a red-tailed melanistic gray squirrel.

That is one handsome squirrel, thank you for sharing! If you ever happen across the wacky ones, I'd be glad to see those, as well.

And, to the previous post:

 

[John Popp]

I'll start taking some pictures of them. 10 years ago you would rarely see a gray squirrel, let alone a melanistic one and now they are everywhere. Now we are seeing all kinds of crazy adaptations, but they are all just gray squirrels. They are definitely pushing the fox squirrels out, as they are a lot more aggressive.

In our Metro Park, you can often see Red Squirrels and after the leaves are gone at dusk you can sometimes see a flying squirrel. What a dolphin is to the sea, a flying squirrel is to land, I love them.

 

[Ninja-n-Bear]

I would *love* to see a flying squirrel in person. Is that a daily occurrence?

I wonder what's causing all the funky colors, when I was a kid it was a big deal to see a single melanistic one. There's a tortie squirrel out there, somewhere!

 

[John Popp]

It's a rarity to see a flying squirrel although there are plenty of them around. They're nocturnal, so the best time to see them is at dusk and hard to see them when the trees still have leaves.