White squirrels have been seen all over Victorian Village for the past few years, including several in the park. What are white squirrels?

White squirrels are a form of Eastern Gray Squirrels. Gray squirrels are most commonly gray on top and white underneath, although they may include shades of red. Melanism, referred to as black squirrels, is common in the northern portions of the range. Albinism is rare, but occurs in some areas. There is another form, said to be more rare, in which the coat is white, sometimes with a grey patch on the head or upper back, and in which the eyes are not pink. The squirrels in our area appear to be albino.

There are several cities that claim to be the home of white squirrels. Roadsideamerica.com lists 5 cities, but none are in Ohio. This site indicates that Marionville, Mo is so committed to their white squirrel population that common gray squirrels are trapped and relocated! However, I could find no reference to that on the city's website, which mentions the squirrels and also that they are the apple capital of Missouri.

Hmm...maybe the squirrels are after the apples? Well, in fact, orchards would make good squirrel habitat. Squirrels will eat apples, but they are true omnivores, eating many tree nuts, seeds, fruit, flowers, fungus, eggs, amphibians, insects, baby birds, and even the occasional squirrel! They build nests out of leaves in trees, and surprisingly have only 1 or 2 litters per year, according to the ODNR reference material. I always figured they reproduced much more frequently, given all the squirrels running around in my backyard! Actually, baby squirrels don't leave the nest until they are about 10 weeks old, and aren't independent of their mother until several weeks after that, so more litters would just not be possible. Especially since male squirrels do not share in the care of the young - those darned absentee fathers.

According to a BBC website, white squirrels tend to live in albino colonies. I'm not sure if that is the case here, or if the recessive trait becomes a more common part of a local population through breeding, but there do appear to be clusters, and one seems to be Victorian Village (and nearby areas, including OSU campus).

It is believed that, like many other albino animals, albino squirrels may not see or hear as well as squirrels that produce pigment. This makes them naturally easier targets for predators. However, their charming looks and intelligence win them human fans, who help to preserve their numbers.

Refences, and for more information:
http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/graysquirrel/tabid/6646/Default.aspx
http://www.marionvillemo.com/
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/squirrels.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/content/articles/2005/11/24/about_white_squirrels.shtml

~Chris Gillespie