"A SQUIRREL OF A DIFFERENT COLOUR"

Eastern Gray Squirrel (Red Phase) - 4 Photos

The first point to be made regarding the four photos that follow is:

1. There has been no tampering with the colouring of the squirrel during the photo developing or editing. The original photos were cropped and some minor editing performed but the colour of the squirrel is actual.

When I first spotted this squirrel jumping from tree to tree, I actually took my sunglasses off as I thought the tint in the glasses was giving a false colouring. But no, the squirrel was indeed entirely red & he/she was way too big & bulky to be a North American Red Squirrel.

It took a few visits to the same area, waiting and some stealthy maneuvering to capture decent photos of this very handsome, albeit different looking Eastern Gray Squirrel.

Because of the oddity in colour, I reached out to a highly regarded naturalist who put me onto some reading material that stated that Eastern Gray Squirrels (or Sciurus carolinensis) can have gray, black, white, reddish or albino fur and the colour of their fur can also change with the seasons.

I subsequently looked up Canadian Wildlife Federation's "Hinterland Who's Who" and their article on the Eastern Gray Squirrel. Under Description, it states, "Albino eastern grey squirrels also occur and in the United States a few small, completely white populations are found. There are rare instances of a reddish colour phase and some animals may also have a combination of colours, for example a black body with a red tail."

I've included below a link to CWF's full article.

https://www.hww.ca/wildlife/mammals/eastern-grey-squirrel/

So what we have here is a reddish Eastern Gray Squirrel who may change colour with the seasons. That small spot of white on the squirrel's face is granulated snow. But the little ear tufts extending from the top of each ear are all his/her own.

I would add that unlike the other Eastern Gray Squirrels who were present at the time, this squirrel did not spend a lot of time on the ground. He/she always quickly foraged and then retreated to the trees each time. Also, he/she did not "play well with others". :) I don't know if this was due to personality or because this squirrel was not like all the others.

PHOTO #1

PHOTO #2

PHOTO #3

PHOTO #4