The melanistic, or black squirrels, are exactly the same species as the gray squirrels, but the black ones have a variant form of a specific gene which produces more dark pigment. In other words, they have a rogue gene that causes them to have black pigment in their hair.  (Photo by Stan Tekiela)

Enjoy the common side of nature

I often enjoy the more common side of nature. The nature in our own backyards or neighborhood park. The nature that we see every day but seems to go unnoticed because it’s so common. For example, the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), is likely the most common squirrel species in the United States and Canada. No matter if you live in the city, suburbs, or out in the boondocks, chances are you have gray squirrels running around.

There are many different kinds of squirrels in the United States and Canada. For example, we have eight different species of “tree” squirrels. As the name implies, these squirrels live in trees and includes the eastern gray squirrel. We have 56 species of “ground” squirrels, which include species such as chipmunks and prairie dogs. And, we have three species of “flying” squirrels. These are nocturnal species of squirrels that also live in the trees, but are obviously different from other squirrels with their ability to glide.

The eastern gray squirrel, or just gray squirrel, is the common backyard “tree” squirrel. I find these squirrels endlessly fascinating to watch and study. So, the other day, when I was visiting my daughter in western central Wisconsin, and saw there were a ton of Eastern gray squirrels that were very different looking because they are jet black, I thought this is something that I know a lot about, but most people don’t know exist.

The eastern gray squirrel has a dark side. There are scattered pockets of the eastern gray squirrel that are not gray at all, but rather totally black. This is a condition called melanistic. How dark the squirrel is depending upon how much melanin is present in the hair of the squirrel. Often, these squirrels will have a black body and a rusty-colored tail. Some will have patches of white on their bellies or tail. No matter, these melanistic squirrels really stand out.

To be clear, the melanistic, or black squirrels, are exactly the same species as the gray squirrels, but the black ones have a variant form of a specific gene which produces more dark pigment. In other words, they have a rogue gene that causes them to have black pigment in their hair.

Recent research shows that we have more black-morph squirrels now than in the past. Partially because people have trapped and moved the black-morphs around the country. Several universities trapped and moved the black-morph squirrels to their campuses for research purposes. In addition, several cities in the south also imported the black-morph squirrels. All of this has led to more black-morph gray squirrels today than ever before, but they are still considered unusual or rare.

Just how rare are these black squirrels? It is estimated that less than one percent of all the eastern gray squirrels are melanistic or black. That translates to about one in every 10,000 gray squirrels is melanistic. So, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say they are not very common. However, in some pockets or regions, the black-morph squirrel is the dominant squirrel.

The range of the eastern gray squirrel stretches across the eastern half of the country, extending well up into Canada. Typically, the melanistic squirrels are found in northern states and Canada. Several studies have shown that the dark-morph squirrels had lower heat losses and lower basal metabolic rates, compared to the regular gray-morphs during winter. The dark-morph squirrels have lower energy costs for living in cold and wintery conditions, compared to the gray-morphs. Therefore, melanistic squirrels are more common in the northern portions of the species range.

Recent research has determined that the origins of the black-morph gray squirrels has come from a close relative to the fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). Also known as the eastern fox squirrel or Bryant’s fox squirrel, it is the largest species of tree squirrel native to America. The fox squirrel comes in a wide variety of colors, including black. It is believed that a black-morph fox squirrel bred with an eastern gray squirrel and passed along the variant gene that causes the dark fur. Studies show that the same exact gene in the fox squirrel that causes the dark fur is the same in the gray squirrel. From there, natural selection took over and now we see the black-morph gray squirrels all over the northern States. Until next time…

Stan Tekiela is an author / naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels the U.S. to study and capture images of wildlife. He can be followed on www.facebook.com and twitter.com. He can be contacted via his web page at www.naturesmart.com.

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

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