Tadaa! A black squirrel in Steele Creek Park.
I pulled into the parking lot at the Lodge this morning and saw this furry creature climbing the tree immediately in front of me. A quick call later to Parks and Recreation Director Terry Napier and my sighting was confirmed.
A black squirrel.
According to Nature Center Manager Jeremy Stout, these are still the common species found in the park, Gray Squirrels (see photo top right). According to Jeremy, natural variability exists in all populations and almost any mammal can carry the genes for being all white or black. But these traits are almost always recessive, so unless both parents pass the abnormal genes, then all the squirrels will still be the normal type, gray.
The first black squirrel was seen about two years ago in Steele Creek Park, and now several are present. This implies the genes for melanism (black) may be more common in the Steele Creek sub-population than in most other places.
So look for the black squirrels next time you visit Steele Creek Park - a photo just doesn't do them justice.
