Melanistic gray squirrel

Sciurus carolinensis

Description:

The melanistic form of the gray squirrel which is almost entirely black, is predominant in certain populations and in certain geographic areas, such as in large parts of southeastern Canada. There are also genetic variations within these, including individuals with black tails and black colored squirrels with white tails.

Habitat:

Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC

Notes:

Very prolific in Stanley Park where they follow tourists around begging for tidbits! The first one followed us for about 5 minutes until it realized we weren't going to feed it. We saw the second guy eating seeds someone had put out on a fence rail on one of the trails it barely moved even when cyclists were passing within a couple of feet.

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15 Comments

KarenL 12 years ago

Thanks blaise!

KarenL 12 years ago

Thanks tmgerber!

tmgerber 12 years ago

What a beautiful and unique squirrel! Hes so neat.

KarenL 12 years ago

Mary, I think he was sucking in his cheeks trying to look like he needed feeding up! The melanistic squirrel appears to be more common than the usual gray in parts of Canada, especially around the Toronto area.

MaryEvans2 12 years ago

cute series and nice spotting, I have never seen black colored squirrels, though have heard of them. sure are cute. Love how he is holding his mouth in the 1st photo.