Following on from letters and photographs that were sent in for publication earlier this year, we have received more communications about albino Grey Squirrels in our area. Paul Baxter wrote in with the picture above of a white squirrel that has been entertaining them in their garden at the ambulance headquarters of the Pastures since last September. It visits them almost daily and has been named Albi, much to the delight of their granddaughters. Dawn Poulton of Southey Close saw and photographed an albino squirrel in her back garden in 2015. This is unlikely to be the same squirrel as reported recently as they only usually live for 2-5 years. However, albinism is inherited so the current white squirrel may well be a descendent of that one. Albinos have no black pigment (melanin) at all, not even in the eyes so they are easily identified by their pink eyes.Leucism is relatively common in some species of birds, where some abnormal white plumage is present. This is also a genetic mutation causing a lack of melanin, but it does not result in a pink eye. Blackbirds seem to show this mutation quite often and it usually manifests itself as patches of white feathers around the neck and head. As the condition is inherited, it is common to find a number of such birds in the same area.
Dilution is another condition that results in animals displaying colours outside of their usual range. In birds, the plumage colour appears washed out, as seen in this Jackdaw that I saw locally. Normally these birds have black feathers over most of the body, with a silvery sheen to the back of the head, but in this instance the whole body is covered with grey plumage. Unlike leucistic birds, melanin cells are present in the body of birds displaying dilution, but less pigment than usual is produced.
Leucism can cause feathers to weaken and become more prone to wear, potentially hindering their ability to fly. In all cases these individuals with pigment defects are usually more conspicuous and hence at greater risk of predation. One further complication is that animals lacking the usual colouration may not be recognised as a potential mate. For these reasons, the chances of an albino or leucistic individual breeding and passing on their genes to subsequent generations are limited. I would like to thank all of those who wrote in describing this interesting local phenomenon and encourage anyone who comes across unusual wildlife to drop a line to The Journal and I will follow it up where possible.
Following on from letters and photographs that were sent in for publication earlier this year, we have received more communications about albino Grey Squirrels in our area. Paul Baxter wrote in with the picture above of a white squirrel that has been entertaining them in their garden at the ambulance headquarters of the Pastures since last September. It visits them almost daily and has been named Albi, much to the delight of their granddaughters. Dawn Poulton of Southey Close saw and photographed an albino squirrel in her back garden in 2015. This is unlikely to be the same squirrel as reported recently as they only usually live for 2-5 years. However, albinism is inherited so the current white squirrel may well be a descendent of that one. Albinos have no black pigment (melanin) at all, not even in the eyes so they are easily identified by their pink eyes.Leucism is relatively common in some species of birds, where some abnormal white plumage is present. This is also a genetic mutation causing a lack of melanin, but it does not result in a pink eye. Blackbirds seem to show this mutation quite often and it usually manifests itself as patches of white feathers around the neck and head. As the condition is inherited, it is common to find a number of such birds in the same area.
Dilution is another condition that results in animals displaying colours outside of their usual range. In birds, the plumage colour appears washed out, as seen in this Jackdaw that I saw locally. Normally these birds have black feathers over most of the body, with a silvery sheen to the back of the head, but in this instance the whole body is covered with grey plumage. Unlike leucistic birds, melanin cells are present in the body of birds displaying dilution, but less pigment than usual is produced.
Leucism can cause feathers to weaken and become more prone to wear, potentially hindering their ability to fly. In all cases these individuals with pigment defects are usually more conspicuous and hence at greater risk of predation. One further complication is that animals lacking the usual colouration may not be recognised as a potential mate. For these reasons, the chances of an albino or leucistic individual breeding and passing on their genes to subsequent generations are limited. I would like to thank all of those who wrote in describing this interesting local phenomenon and encourage anyone who comes across unusual wildlife to drop a line to The Journal and I will follow it up where possible.