# Black squirrels??



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Ok, the other day on a farm road West of Dayton, I saw a Black squirrel, now I have seen many of them up in Michigan/Toledo area but neve seen one this far South. I wondered if anyone can tell me more about them, is it a genetic issue or a different strain altogether? Anyone else seen them below say Lima?or further south? We have a few albinos in the neighborhood and they are fairly common but wondered how a black one got this far south. 
Oh yeah, anyone got any good pcs of one? 
Just curious, I dont hunt them or anything but thought it would make an interesting post. 

Salmonid


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## ParmaBass (Apr 11, 2004)

They are real common in the Canton area, but never seen one up here in Cleveland.


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## Fishstix (Aug 16, 2005)

I grew up in Orrville, which is near Wooster and they are all over the place there.


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## OSU_Fisherman (Mar 1, 2007)

I've seen a couple while fishing on Alum Creek. I thought they were a little out of place too.


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

Thought I saw one this year in Cinci while I was hunting, turned out to be a mink!


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## Lewzer (Apr 5, 2004)

Here is the story behind them.


http://www.registrars.kent.edu/home/SITE_NAVS/history.htm


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Squirrels


http://www.victoria-park.com/ksu.htm


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Cool pic Tom and Lewzer, thanks, that was intersting stuff, again, how the heck did one get down here? musta got on a truck and headed south for the winter... 

Salmonid


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## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

Squirrels can be highly migratory or a Hawk may have dropped his hard earned catch. I saw some up around Lewiston NY as well as a few all white ones in the same area during the late 90's. The first one I ever saw was up in Canada about 53 years ago. They were all over the place when my daughter attended Hiram back in 82.


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## BobcatAngler (Jul 28, 2006)

I had never seen them before either, but there is a neighborhood here in Cbus on the NW side that is full of them.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

i have seen them in that neighborhood in columbus there is also a neighborhood up there that has all white ones i dont remember where it is anymore it was a few years back that i saw the white ones.


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## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

ive seen several in kent.


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## SConner (Mar 3, 2007)

Only 2 places I have seen them were Kent, OH and Niagra Falls.


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## FishinDawg (Mar 9, 2005)

Northwest Ohio we have thousands of Black Squirrels, there so common around here they dont even phase us when we see them anymore, When I first moved up to Wauseon I'd never seem a black squirrel, now I sit on my porch in town and have 5-10 run around my yard all the time, well until they start to dig up our plants than they kinda thin out unexpectedly.  

Black Squirrels around here are aggresive and will attack the red & grey squirrles if they want thier food or are in thier tree, we've sat & watched a black & red squirrel fight over who was going up the tree. 

During Halloween trick or treat night were walking around a local park and noticed a black squirrel with a whitish tail was lighter than grey but darker than white, dont know if it was natural or some kids got ahold of him over the summer and finally excapted with a bleeched tail.


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## Stoshu (Nov 6, 2004)

I have seen them in Kent & Norwalk...


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## jkeeney20 (Mar 21, 2006)

I have a tree stand on about a 5 acre flat...I see 4-5 black ones everytime I hunt this area....everywhere else, nothing....who knows, in 5 years they might be all over


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## c. j. stone (Sep 24, 2006)

The link about them in Kent is well known in our area, 5-6 miles south near Hartville. I have seen them in my woods-black, grey, fox, and "piney"! NOW yesterday, while driving past Congress Lake Golf Course, we saw one scurringing away into some hedge that was perferctly maked with black-head, back, top of it's tail, and white-front legs, stomach, hind legs, and underside of it's tail! Not Pinto'ed but evenly marked! Of course we didn't have our camera but I described it in detail so you could get the jest of what we saw. I think it was a black that bred to an albino-or a skunk !!!


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## joemamma (Oct 9, 2006)

I have a property I hunt just off of 22 & 3 outside of Morrow(Warren County) on the way to Wilmington and it has at least 15 of them things running around. At first it freaked me out but lately I like watching them. They don't mingle with the brown or gray squirrels, I would think they would eventually mate but who knows?


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## rbthntr (Apr 8, 2008)

i go to hocking college for wildlife and a black is just a color variation of a gray 
same squirrels just different color
!#


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## CRAPPIE LOVER (Feb 11, 2007)

Black Squirrels are becoming very common place...At the rate they are going they will be all over Ohio someday....In my woods I have Blacks, Grays,and Fox everywhere they hang out at the feeders togather,,.still not too friendly with one another.....C.L.....!#


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## jpbasspro (Apr 28, 2008)

Black squirrels are just a melanistic phase of the grayand not a seperate species, its a ressessive trait that is more prevelant in some areas than others. Shortdrift is right, they can and do migrate believe it or not.


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## CRAPPIE LOVER (Feb 11, 2007)

...c.j.stone...Hit the nail on the head...The story about when they were brought to Kent...and how they have migrated from there...Don't know how far they have moved but i'll bet it would blow our minds...Sounds like a good research project too meTHEY ARE OUT THERE ALL AROUND ME....C.L....


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## Weekender#1 (Mar 25, 2006)

I live in Findlay and have a common fox squirrel running around here with a gray tail, kind of strange. I also have a cabin up in N Michigan and we have blacks all over the place. My son hunted them a few times but they are awful small and we all agree that a rat has more meat than a black squirrel, so we leave them alone now.


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## Bluefinn (Jan 26, 2007)

We see them everyday in our yard in streetsboro. They are thick around here. Once in awhile we'll see a gray, but never a fox squirrel.


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