Huyen thought I was crazy when I flipped out and took this picture of a black squirrel:
I have honestly never seen a squirrel any color other than the typical greyish brown (and living in a wooded area in NJ, I saw plenty of those). But, apparently, not only are there some towns overrun by black squirrels, there are also white, albino squirrels as well! Only 1 in 10,000 squirrels are black.
Have you ever spotted a black or white (or red!) squirrel before?
Posted in Just Plain Odd
Sue H September 20, 2006, 2:37 pm
I saw a black squirrel for the first time this week. I live in San Diego but am working out of my Palo Alto office. And running around behind our office? A black squirrel — who was actually being chased by a grey squirrel! (I’m not entirely sure they were playing, either!) I literally did a double-take; I’ve never even heard of a black squirrel before let alone seen one. I have a lot of brown tree squirrels in my neighborhood in San Diego (they love the peanuts I feed them). Seeing a black squirrel for the first time was a cool experience!
Allison January 31, 2007, 6:56 pm
I’ve seen a few black squirrels in Billerica, MA. My boyfriend laughed at me when I told him I saw one in the parking lot where I worked. I didn’t know they exisited and I have lived in the area for 30+ years. I tried to take a picture of one with my cell phone but it came out as a small black dot. ha ha never did get proof. I think I will send him this link! See Ian I am NOT nuts! LOVE squirrels!!
Peter G May 28, 2007, 2:30 pm
First Black Squirrel on May 26, 2007 in my backyard in East Sandwich. MA Very cool.
Blaise C May 28, 2007, 4:24 pm
Grew up in western Massachusetts – lots of black squirrels there. The received wisdom was that had originally come from Japan and been imported for a local park (which explains nothing about their prevalence in the midwest). Can blacks mate w/greys or reds?
IamLisa May 30, 2007, 8:11 pm
Black squirrels are really cute! I’ve seen bunches of them in the Lansing, MI area and few around the north shore in Chicago.
IamLisa
Ronnie June 6, 2007, 12:19 am
Have one in my back yard in Austin, Texas… First I’ve seen in Texas.
Ronnie
alex September 28, 2007, 2:24 am
i seen a black squirrel today in my back yard i live in wurtsboro ny 12790 i just bought this house last year i have three hickory trees and have grey squirrels chimpmunks and that pretty black squirrel
Chelsea October 10, 2007, 12:18 am
I was driving to my mother-in-law’s house and a black squirrel ran right in front of my car! I was so surprised because I didn’t know that they existed! I live in Windsor, CT and no one else that I’ve spoken to has ever seen a black squirrel. I had to look it up on the internet just to prove to my family that black squirrels exist!
Corissa October 10, 2007, 8:47 pm
i love gabby renee with all of my heart.
so back off bitchess.
Kathy October 17, 2007, 1:03 am
I see black squirrels when I go to Canada. They’re ALL the squirrels I’ve seen in Toronto and Vancouver. Some accounts associate them with the North, and that works for me.
Scott July 30, 2008, 2:06 am
We have a whole bunch in northern California. I was surprised as well cause I moved here from SO CAL. They are really cool.
Finn October 13, 2008, 7:48 pm
I just spotted my first black squirrel here in Chicago (Logan Square neighborhood). Lucky for me a bicyclist also saw it, and stopped with me. We both looked at it for a moment, and he asked me to verify that it was black! Very strange, but beautiful. I had to look for a bit to make sure it wasn’t a rat (which we have plenty of), but he went up a tree with his fluffy tail, so I was sure it was a squirrel.
Kris Bell October 24, 2008, 10:34 pm
I saw a black squirrel here in a yard in Davis today. I wish I had a camera with me. It was shaped like a fox squirrel, but colored black. He or she seemed more shy than the typical fox squirrel, who are very laid back about humans. He ran across the yard after noticing me watching him.
Frank P Fuerneisen March 17, 2009, 11:25 pm
I just saw my first black squirrel in Pawleys Island, SC. Iwas along the road just off one of the local golf course.
Mac May 29, 2009, 6:04 pm
We have had black squirrels for decades. I am looking at one right now robbing the bird seed from the feeder. We live in Rosepoint section of Wareham, MA just across the river from Marion, MA. Yhe unusual thing about these black squirrels is their boldness. They are not fazed by threats. Our dog: Regis finds them annoying.
josh September 10, 2009, 2:40 pm
I live in Newton Iowa and we have a few diffrent groups of black squirrels in town.
Earl Booth September 27, 2009, 5:59 pm
Hi! Frank
On Feb. 17 08 I received a gift from you. I don’t believe that I ever thanked you for it.
So “Thank You very much.”
About the black squirrels, They are the color of squirrels in Canada across the river from Hammond, N.Y. There are grey squirrels on the U.S. side of the St. Lawrence river. They seldom cross over even when the river is frozen.
Frank, I have to confess my forgetfulness if we have met in the past. I found envelope with your return address and was chastened in conscience that Ii had not replied, unless I did write, and have forgotten.
There was certainly a great interest in the squirrel blog.
Until we meet again, Earl.
Tyler November 4, 2009, 2:54 am
I saw my first when I went to Omaha, NE. While I was there on a trip from Oklahoma to repair a B-52 Bomber at Offutt AFB, I went for a drive and ended up at Council Bluffs Iowa. I found a lake I cant remember the name but on the east side I saw them all over the place. The first one I saw I thought it was a skunk. I took a pic and some short videos.
Cindy February 1, 2010, 6:19 pm
I had never seen a black squirrel until we went to New York City a couple of years ago. I live in Pennsylvania right ouitside Philly and we only have the grey ones there, so I was surpprised to see a black one in New York. It’s only 1 1/2 hours away from Philly. Just went back to New York last week and there were tons of them in Central Park. Very brazen to. One came right up to me while I was sitting on a park bench. He was so cute! He kept looking at me as if to say ” Hey! Ain’t you got anything for me?”!! LOL Very cute.
Curtis February 11, 2010, 3:44 am
I saw my first black squirrel today outside of Hartsville, SC. I never knew they existed and had to google it and found this site. It was a ebony black squireel and in a very rural setting.
abby April 11, 2010, 6:50 pm
I grew up in Cherokee, IA where there is a large population of black squirrel. However, I now live in Ames, IA which is about two and a half hours from my hometown and I’ve never seen a black squirrel in Ames in the 13 years I’ve resided there.
OldMasterTech August 29, 2010, 12:06 pm
Saw a black squirrel yesterday in Wareham, MA crossing the street near Nessralla’s vegetable stand.
Nancy October 18, 2010, 2:06 pm
Just yesterday I saw a black squirrel on Edgewater Avenue in the Andersonville neighborhood, in Chicago. I’ve lived here for 30 years and have only seen gray ones. The one other time I saw black squirrels was in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and they were everywhere.
Marge January 5, 2011, 7:54 am
I saw a jet black squirrel yesterday! It was beautiful and I couldn’t believe it! I was upset I didn’t have my camera with me! I live in Andover, MA
jeff December 29, 2011, 10:20 pm
Hello i live in campbell,ca and im happy to say that i have a black male squirrel
as a pet his name is lucky.I found him at the bottom of a palm tree still end the nest that had fallen out durning a wind storm there was 2 others that didnt servive the fall he was so small the size of a silver dollar no fur and eyes were closed he was about 4 to 7 days old me and my girl friend bottle fed him ever two hour and had to take him to work with us now he is 2 years old doing good and he sleeps in the bed with us.4 cats and one squirrel in the same bed.