Posted on 02/29/2020 8:55:29 PM PST by nickcarraway
It was shortly after the new year when Jim Holton, owner of Mountain Town Station, sent word of an unusual critter roaming around the grounds of his restaurants at 506 W. Broadway just west of downtown Mt. Pleasant.
He reported seeing a white squirrel.
A quick search of the grounds by Morning Sun staff turned up lots of snow and not much else during a chilly hour-long search.
It became a mild winter obsession. Reports were made of the animal on different parts of the ground: near the garbage receptacles in the back, behind Water Works Salon, 502 W. Broadway, delighting members of the Rotary Club who meet at the restaurant on Mondays.
Each report brought a new search. Each search turned up a lot of snow, but not a lot of white squirrel.
As spring loomed nearer in the schedule, taking away the squirrel's natural camouflage and making it easier prey for the hawks sometimes visible sailing above the city, the quest to snap a pic of this mysterious mammal pressed harder.
Word came Thursday that the squirrel was afoot. Another search was mounted.
Searchers first spotted Merlin, Holton's dog, sitting patiently next to the railroad tracks staring at something in a tree between the tracks and the river.
The something was at first a white blur, then a dot. The dot slowly took solid form as a white squirrel, which based on its chattering was clearly not happy with the presence of predators.
While the one predator sat beneath it, the other predator snapped a few pics and let it be. Word was sent later that the squirrel eventually managed to scamper off safely.
A copy of the photo was sent to the wildlife biology program at Michigan State University for full identification. A quick search of white squirrel fan sites on the Internet suggests that all-white examples of Eastern gray squirrels wouldn't be so uncommon if their color scheme was better suited for the entire year instead of just winter.
I have one who lives in my backyard. I see him every day. Didn’t realize this was such a big deal.
An albino squirrel. Cool!
Squirrel need moose for escort, Natasha.
The Squirrel-ette probably wonders why he’s being stalked.
This reminds me of that song “Elusive Butterfly” by Bobby Lind (1966).
I guess being white would shorten their lives.
Too bad.
Come over to Brevard, North Carolina just southwest of Asheville. About 40% of the squirrels in that town are white.
Start taking pictures
white supremacist squirrel no doubt-
I don’t think it’s a true albino, just a white variant of a grey squirrel. True albinos have pink eyes due to lack of pigment for color. Albinos are generally smaller, weaker versions of their kind and tend to not last as long in the wild. According to what I’ve read.
Racist
It’s not a big deal. I have several in my neighborhood. And totally black grey squirrels.
I see a lot of animals, (big and small), cruising around the woods up here but I have never seen a white squirrel.
It’s a white squirrel event.
Here’s your Easter Bunny!
White squirrel? Is it Biden?
One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small.
And the ones that Hunter gives you don't do anything at all.
Fox or grey?
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