White Squirrels In Your Yard: Leucism And Albinism In Squirrels

If you’ve ever noticed both gray and white squirrels in your neighborhood or a local park, you have witnessed an interesting natural phenomenon. The light coloring makes these squirrels more vulnerable to predators, which is why they are rare. Consider yourself lucky if you see one.  What Causes White Squirrels?  The explanation for most cases of white fur is leucism in squirrels. Leucism is a genetic trait in which a recessive allele results in a reduction of pigment. You can see leucism in many types of wild animals, including squirrels.  Whether you’re seeing white fox squirrels or white gray squirrels may be hard to tell. With their more typical coloring, it’s easy to identify the yellowish belly of the fox and the white belly of the gray squirrel. Either one may have white pups.  You can identify a leucistic squirrel by its white fur, of course, but it won’t necessarily […]

The post White Squirrels In Your Yard: Leucism And Albinism In Squirrels appeared first on Gardening Know How.

Via Gardening How To – Gardening Know How https://www.gardeningknowhow.com