What color are your squirrels?

[koganbot]

What color are your squirrels?

In Connecticut, where I am right now, they are gray. In Colorado, where I live, they have a lot of brownish red in their gray.

Comments

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

New York & New Jersey: gray.

"In the DPRK all squirrels are grey"

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

The north of Scotland and -- I believe -- the Isle of White still has a few red ones. The grey is an aggressive invader, imported I believe from North America, which has driven the smaller, less robust red into the margins.

[(Anonymous)]

in the bronx, black

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

Mine are like the Colorado squirrels.

[miss-newham.livejournal.com]

Although now I'm suddenly doubtful because the other Londoners are saying grey! In East London they definitely had browny-red tails, but I shall double-check the South London ones for you.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

grey squirrels can have a slight reddish cast to the grey: actual real red squirrels have pointier and tufty ears--indeed in my vanished youth there was a ROAD SAFETY RED SQUIRREL called "Tufty"

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

actually the ears aren't themselves pointy, but the tufts make them look that way:

[koganbot]

The ones in Colorado are not as red as this, but they are definitely redder than the ones in Connecticut.

[koganbot]

It was the first thing I noticed looking out my window in '99, when I moved into my first apartment in Colorado, that the squirrels were redder than in Connecticut.

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

In Notting Hill/Hyde Park they are grey. I have seen a black one where I used to live, though; sometimes they escape from zoos and the like.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

the black ones are from MIRKW00D

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Grey (the black ones are in Toronto, although the greys seem to have invaded there as well).

Why are you in Connecticut?

[koganbot]

Thursday was Thanksgiving in the USA, and I am visiting my parents. They live in Storrs, which is in the northeast corner of the state, east of Hartford, southwest of Worcester, west of Providence.

[edgeofwhatever.livejournal.com]

I don't know why, but I always find it vaguely comforting when you and I are in the same region of the country.

[chuckeddy.livejournal.com]

In Austin, we have white squirrels! Not most squirrels here (which are some inconsequential and forgettable greyish/tannish color I guess? I never really looked close enough I guess) but some -- i.e., I've seen probably four white ones in our front yard since moving here almost two years ago. Also, the white squirrel population here is famous! But not technically albino, apparently (at least I've read that in other places), despite some fans thinking otherwise:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albino_Squirrel_Preservation_Society

http://www.pbase.com/jyarak/albino_squirrel

Other places with white squirrels:

http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/speciesprofile/deciduousforest.html

Squirrel Census

[talrose.livejournal.com]

Because there are so many variations of squirrels in Chicago, a man named Steve Sullivan from the The Chicago Academy of Sciences Nature Museum took it upon himself to initiate a squirrel census! I highly recommend checking it out and participating, as it gives a better understanding not just of how squirrels make up our country, but what they can tell us about our changing ecology (which the website says they do).

In Chicago, I've seen many different colors of squirrels, whether they be black with gray chests or auburn or gray with white chests. Very mixed squirrel population here, and always has been. Also, my girlfriend thinks I look like a squirrel, so we also have olive-colored with brown hair and varyings colors of sweaters (today it's blue).

Re: Squirrel Census

[talrose.livejournal.com]

Forgot to include the link:

http://www.projectsquirrel.org/index.shtml

Re: Squirrel Census

[joshlanghoff.livejournal.com]

Tal, you're from Chicago! I'm up in the north suburbs. We have mostly the gray with white chests, I think, but there are some black ones. It's not like they're RARE, but they're rare enough (or we're hayseed enough) to say "Look! A black squirrel!"

Re: Squirrel Census

[talrose.livejournal.com]

Hey Josh, small world!

It'd be interesting to know the statistical data of your suburb, since the squirrel census site says that gray squirrels tend to flock to areas of high human population density with low levels of predators (pets included). Squirrels that are brown and orange usually nestle in woodsy areas with high levels of predators. Also, the type of tree that tends to grow in a given suburb has some impact on what kind of squirrel resides there.

Re: Squirrel Census

[joshlanghoff.livejournal.com]

Well, if you're interested in ferreting out the appropriate data, here you go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Round_Lake,_Illinois

Population density is slightly higher than the county as a whole. There are woodsy areas, but there are always houses around somewhere nearby. We have birds of prey and dogs!