On the photo that I took in the article of Daily Mail you see squirrels of different colours.The first, red squirrel, is native for England and I think for all Europe too.
The second, grey squirrel, comes from America in the 1870s. It is more active and winner as native squirrel.
Finally the last, black, is the result of a single mutation in the DNA of greys and appears in 1912.
I laught when I red it, because some time ago I wrote that according to an interesting recent research the leonesses in Africa prefer males with braun mane. If she sees a blond leo she goes away, if she sees a broun one she loses her head. So, now I know that the squirrel-females are not so simple to convince too.The black squirrel is the result of a single mutation in the DNA of greys, giving them higher levels of the pigment melanin in their fur.
Sex selection is also boosting their numbers because female greys appear to prefer them as mates.
By the way
I had an Airdail-female. She had many friends but did not had any preference for one of them. Only she did not love a mastiff. Once we went on the beach and there was a red German sheffild with long fur and he had great broun mane there. He was really beautiful (and knew it, I think). My Bessy fall the same minute in love. What she did to attract his attention! It was a shame to see it! ;))) Fortunatelly the next her love was an Airdail.
5 comments:
Oh, there is a black squirrel too. Haven't seen that before. In Malaysia, the squirrels are normally small and brown but I have seen a big, orange one running across the road. That's the one and only time I saw it. Goes to show that we will know everything in one lifetime.
It was something new for me too. I did not know about greys and reds. I've seen the squirrels many times in the places where I lived but I did not know they are have different species.
Intereting post. Squirrels are interesting animals. When my mom was growing up she was told that the black ones were very rare and we almost never see them.
--JB
Sadly the Red Squirrel is slowly disappearing from Britain. I think money was offered for their tails :O( We mainly only have the Grey Squirrel now. I would love to see a black squirrel.
Oh, poor beings... Naturalists have to think to save them...
We had squirrels in Lithuania, but I was little and don't remember the colour. I think they were red. It could be really interesting to see those blacks, I've never seen them else too.
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