Extremely Rare Squirrel Found in Amherst, New York

There was a very rare animal that was spotted in Western New York and it is not GREAT to be in this situation for the animal.

When you find something like this in Western New York, it's one of those things that you need to tell everyone about on social media. Our friend Teresa spotted this white squirrel in Amherst, New York during the warm weather. At first glance, it almost doesn't even look like a squirrel. To me it looked like a white skunk or something with some small brown spots on its back, but everyone on Facebook said that they have seen this squirrel before as well.

Take a look at some of the pictures below.

But, why exactly is it white anyway and not gray?

For some odd reason, eastern grey squirrels in the US do have a gene that will make their coats white. It’s somewhat rare to see a white squirrel, though, because white squirrels are likely highly selected against. In other words, predators to squirrels such as hawks really like it when their prey is highlighted white!', according to UntamedScience.com.

The problem is that it is not exactly an advantage for the white squirrel. Some squirrels have a gene mutation, but it goes in the opposite direction and it ends up being the color black. This actually works out better for the squirrel.

Some scientists think that the all-black fur is a genetic advantage allowing the squirrel to absorb more of the sun's heat in the Wintertime to stay warmer.