*fire both pistols at random. Two squeaks and dull thuds follow*Get off that unrealistic grassy knoll!
That certainly looks like the picture. But on closer examination, the squirrel looks dark brown rather than black.
The black squirrels are mostly in East Anglia - Cambs, Herts, Beds and Norfolk.I've spent a lot of time outdoors, rough shooting was part of my misspent youth, and have never seen a black squirrel but I've seen several black rabbits, two white blackbirds and one white crow.
Thanks all - I hadn`t thought it might not be one of the more glossy black variety. Another question is, how far back in time do British white ( i.e. albino,etc) go?I can't find any references to the squirrel's colour. It appears to be darker than the red we expect, though the pigments may have faded or the varnish muted the colours with age.
Pictures of melanistic squirrels online show them to be deep, glossy black but Holbein's critter is very clearly distinct from the sitter's black dress. Both reds and greys can produce melanistic offspring but in both cases the black is striking.
Thanks for this. I have a photo of 2 black squirrels taken in a Cambridgeshire garden in the mid 1990s.The black squirrels are mostly in East Anglia - Cambs, Herts, Beds and Norfolk.
The brunettes, also known as "black-reds", are dark brown or black in colour but have the body shape of a red squirrel, with its distinctive tufty ears. They may have white markings, particularly on their stomachs.
Their discovery makes them the rarest of all the UK's squirrel varieties, with researchers unsure how many there may be.
It's soooooo fluffy! *squeals*I'd not heard of these before but there are brunette squirrels as well.
It seems the black ones are variations of greys. Brunettes are variations of reds.
*fire both pistols at random. Two squeaks and dull thuds follow*
I prefer blondes myself(sorry!)I'd not heard of these before but there are brunette squirrels as well.
It seems the black ones are variations of greys. Brunettes are variations of reds.
Thanks Fats.Or should I call you Tuesday?!There are some of the darker "brunette" red squirrels amongst the surviving population at Formby, near Southport.