August 26(B), 2008 : Princeton Black squirrel

[Juniper]

There are pockets of black squirrels here and there.

Glendale, a suburb of Cincinnati, has black squirrels. Here is an article I found from the local paper:

What's the story behind Glendale's black squirrels?

• Thomas Carruthers III, a Glendale businessman, brought two pairs of black squirrels to the village from the resort town of Harbor Springs, Mich., in the 1940s, says his son, Tom Carruthers IV.

"He just thought it'd be fun to bring them down here," he says.

Within two weeks, one was shot and its pelt hung up at what is now the Glendale Gaslight Cafe, Carruthers says. Evidently, some combination of the other three went forth and multiplied.

• Black squirrels are Eastern gray squirrels that have a genetic variation called melanism, says Thane Maynard, vice president of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

Melanism is the opposite of the rarer condition of albinism, which is the lack of pigment, he says.

Black squirrels and gray squirrels can interbreed, and contrary to popular Glendale belief, melanism is a recessive trait, Maynard says.

• Black squirrels can be found in other areas of the country, including northern Michigan; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Marysville, Kan.; and Kent, Ohio, according to www.roadsideamerica.com.

Marysville has adopted the black squirrel as its official mascot, adopted a "Black Squirrel Song" as its official anthem and holds an annual Black Squirrel Celebration.

Kent State University holds an annual black squirrel festival. London, Ontario, also a hot spot, has a black squirrel Web site, screensaver and downloadable song (www.victoria-park.com/mp3.htm) .

• Five competing towns - Olney, Ill.; Marionville, Mo.; Kenton, Tenn.; Brevard, N.C.; and Exeter, Ontario - all pride themselves on their white squirrel populations and celebrate them with festivals, songs and in some cases, laws.

• To Glendale officials' knowledge, no one has ever taken a census of the village's black squirrels. Any takers?

The neighborhood where I grew up has white squirrels, too, though I never remember seeing them till after I moved away. My mom said she saw them all the time.