Having a White & Squirrelly Christmas
White squirrels are so uncommon that some people don’t even believe they exist, to the point they actually argue about it. (I personally don’t understand why it’s so hard to believe considering practically any animal can produce albino offspring.) But Barbara Kenney has proof that will put this argument to a rest. She actually took a picture of one and used it for her photo Christmas cards one year, with a message reading “Wishing you a white Christmas that isn’t too squirrelly”.
White squirrels are rare to see for a few reasons. #1. The albino jean is recessive and uncommon. #2. They tend to stand out and get “picked off” by predators before they have a chance to reproduce and pass on the albino jean. (Thus making it more uncommon) #3 They’re often very elusive and skittish. (They’d have to be in order to avoid being singled out and eaten).
This article reminded me of the most human squirrel I’ve ever known. As a kid, our yard a was a haven for many squirrels. There was one however that stood out to us. We named him Chipper because he was always chippering away at us in a very unusual way. He seemed to have a keen interest in communicating with us. It got to the point that we would simply call his name and he’d come running. I swear one day he actually waved at us as if to say thank you for the treat. One day he simply disappeared, but I will never forget him.
The original article about the white squirrel can be found at:
http://www.dailypressandargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080312/NEWS01/803120319/1002
Photo Christmas Cards