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Black squirrels
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 5:43 pm
by alan refail
Posted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:12 pm
by oldherbaceous
Dear Alan i think the first one in Milton Bryan was about 25 years ago.
I remember in 1987, the year i moved into my present house, i was walking down to the other end of the village for a pint one Sunday lunchtime.
As i got to the Rookery there was a baby black squirrel at the side of the road, as i bent down to pick the little creature up, it suddenly jumped at me teeth bared, making an awful hissing noise.
I beat a hasty retreat, and ended getting my leg pulled all afternoon in the pub once i had told them the story.
I should think about 25% of the squirrels are now black ones.
Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 4:06 pm
by Granny
Not yet in our garden, but certainly seen them in Girton, a village immediately north of Cambridge.
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Granny
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:04 am
by Brooklynodog
None in Somerset yet (that I am aware of)
Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:36 am
by Primrose
It wasn't until I read a newspaper article last week that I realised black squirrels existed. I've certainly never seen any around our part of the world in Bucks. Am sure the five regular greys to our garden would be very put out about such an intruder. Do the two species actually coexist or interbreed. What colour would you get if a grey and black bred? Charcoal grey ??
Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 5:36 pm
by Stephen
Primrose:
I am pretty sure that the "black" ones are just sports of the greys
The upstarts are genetic mutations of greys, but have a darker fur and higher levels of the male sex hormone testosterone - making them more aggressive and more successful.
Is that the girls too?