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Black Eastern Chipmunk (melanistic)

Tamias striatus

Description:

We call him Blackie. At first you think he must be a squirrel, but nope. Chipmunk. Nobody I have spoken with has ever seen one.

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4 Comments

KristenGilpin
KristenGilpin 12 years ago

I had a black squirrel in Pennsylvania that was melanistic :) As a little girl, he was my favorite... mostly because I could always pick him out.

WarrenGlenn
WarrenGlenn 12 years ago

Cool - thanks! My family will certainly be interested in that.

KristenGilpin
KristenGilpin 12 years ago

This may be caused by a condition called melanism which is essentially the opposite of albinism. In albinos, there is a lack of pigmentation while in melanistic individuals, there is an excess.

Here is some more information for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanism

Maci
Maci 12 years ago

awh hes so adorable. (:

warreng
Spotted by
warreng

Ontario, Canada

Spotted on Sep 1, 2011
Submitted on Sep 1, 2011

Spotted for Mission

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