Cute but deadly: They may look harmless, but 'mutant' squirrels have left the grey squirrel population in fear
Posted on 04/25/2008 9:39:09 AM PDT by Stoat
Mutant 'testosterone-fuelled' Russian black squirrels in Cambridgeshire are giving their grey cousins a taste of their own medicine and driving them from their homes.
A Cambridge academic believes the unusual black squirrel now makes up half of the total squirrel population in the area from which they have originated.
The upstarts are the genetic mutations of grey squirrels. And although nuts may be their food of choice there have been reports of their hungry Russian counterparts savaging stray dogs.
Scroll down for more...
Cute but deadly: They may look harmless, but 'mutant' squirrels have left the grey squirrel population in fear
Dr Alison Thomas, from Anglia Ruskin University's department of life sciences, believes black squirrels could spread to Norfolk and Suffolk within 10 years and there are fears they could wipe out greys altogether.
"I was so surprised to see my first ever black squirrel cross the road when I was driving, and when I relayed the story to my family they were keen to know all about them so I made it my mission to find out more", Dr Thomas said.
"The abrupt switch from a delicate silver toned squirrel's coat to a dense black pelt occurs as a result of melanin pigments deposited in them during their development.
"A single genetic mutation can upset this balance, resulting in the over-production of the darker pigment and the birth of a black squirrel."
Scroll down for more...
Making a run for it: There are fears the black squirrels could wipe out the greys
The unusual black form has spread to the county from North Hertfordshire and is the biggest change in squirrel demographics since the last indigenous red squirrels disappeared 50 years ago - as a result of the population explosion of the bigger and more aggressive greys.
Dr Thomas said that compared to the DNA sequence that is obtained for the gene from the grey squirrel, the sequence from the black squirrel had a "chunk missing."
Increasing numbers of brown-black squirrels are also being produced as a result of breeding between the two species.
It has also been suggested black squirrels could be spreading as they are more aggressive than greys due to higher levels of testosterone, but this has not yet been proved
The first black squirrels were spotted around Letchworth Garden City, near Royston, home to the UK's largest colony.
Since then, they have gradually migrated northwards and eastwards as far as Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. They are also common in some parts of North America.
Three years ago, a pack of Russian black squirrels bit to death a stray dog in a Russian park. They were said to have scampered off at the sight of humans, some carrying pieces of flesh.
They are not different species.......a Horse and a Donkey are different species which produce hybrid, sterile mules.........
Russian black squirrels in Cambridgeshire are giving their grey cousins a taste of their own medicine and driving them from their homes.
In my city, the black and brown ‘squirrels’ have driven the bitter, white squirrels to the edge of the city boundaries.
I... Ain’t ... gonna... say ... it ... !
Don’t ...wanna ... be ... banned...
Maybe they need some of these......
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/set/squirrels.html
All the white squirrels are bitter and clinging to their guns and bibles......................
Or some of these.....
A squirrel is a squirrel regarless of their color. For some reason, Detroit is full of the black ones...Seriously!
Squirrels in Detroit are quite smart, it's very common to watch them climb telephone poles then walk the lines over streets to get to the other side thus avoiding the cars.....LOL!
The small town next to mine is populated entirely with black squirrels while all of the surrounding towns have brown ones. I’ve always wondered how that happened.
"Keep your head down Mom. Run for the car so we can get to our base."
Ruin my Mom's trip to Bosnia with sniper fire will ya? Take That!
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
There goes the neighborhood. The grey-flight to the suburbs has already begun, even as the black squirrels are screaming disenfranchisement.
That’s what I thought, thanks...
We have red squirrels here. Lately I’ve noticed black squirrels too. They’re smaller than the reds, I think they are from Canada.
Gee--maybe Jimmy Carter was right about that rabbit after all.
He is definitely the go-to guy when it comes to animal husbandry.
We’re doomed.
It was a Mob hit.
Nothing personal, just business.
Eventually this is all going to have to be put down by the military.
Tigers and Lions are not the same species.
All things that can interbreed are not the same species.
A species is defined as an interbreeding population, not a population that is capable of interbreeding.
In this particular case the black squirrels are a more aggressive and dark colored “phenotype” of the original grey population. Some day they might become a “sub-species” if the black and greys start to differentiate their mating habits or mating season or start mating assortively. This may one day be classified as a different “species” if this reproductive isolation continues. Some day perhaps the differences will accumulate to the point where they not only do not interbreed in the wild, but are incapable of producing fertile offspring.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.