Ultra-Rare Albino Squirrel Photographed After 2 Years of Waiting in Edinburgh
Wildlife enthusiast Gary Fox, 50, first spotted rare albino squirrel two years agoHowever, he didn’t have his camera with him and so couldn’t take a picture of it On Tuesday, he spotted the squirrel again and immediately started taking snaps.
A photographer managed to finally capture a rare albino squirrel on camera – two years after first spotting one. Wildlife enthusiast Gary Fox, 50, was walking to the Water of Leith, in Edinburgh, hoping to take photos of kingfishers, when a flash of white caught his eye.
He had seen an albino squirrel by the Union Canal in Edinburgh, but had not had his camera with him so was unable to take a photo.When he finally spotted one on Tuesday, he immediately started snapping away.
He first saw an albino squirrel by the Union Canal in Edinburgh two years ago, but didn’t have his camera with himGary said: ‘I might not have seen it if it was snowing. ‘It was just round the corner from the back of my house. I was on the way to the river to look for kingfishers.
‘When I turned the corner, my camera was still in my bag. I saw a white thing on a tree, then I realised it was the albino squirrel.’I got my camera out of my bag and started taking pictures.’
Experts say that white squirrels are more vulnerable to attack from predators as they have no camouflage
The self-employed plasterer added: ‘I don’t know if it’s exactly the same one as before.’ Some people say there’s one or two, some people say there’s just one.
‘After I saw it last time, I said I’d keep my eyes out for it. A lot of people say they have never seen, or even heard of, a white squirrel.’ Albinism is caused by a mutation in a gene that codes for pigmentation and the odds of squirrels being born white are said to be one in 100,000.
White squirrels are either albino or born with leucism, a mutated gene which turns them white but keeps their eyes black.
Experts say that white squirrels are more vulnerable to attack from predators as they have no natural camouflage.
Why are albino squirrels so rare? One in 100,000 creatures sport white fur due to lack of melanin Albinism, a genetic condition which reduces the amount of melanin a creature has, can dramatically reduce an animal’s chance of survival in the wild for a number of reasons.
The condition leaves animals with white skin or fur because of a lack of pigment. This is particularly problematic for creatures such as squirrels who need to blend in with tree trunks and leaves to avoid predators.
Another problem faced by creatures with albinism is poor eyesight. The signature pink or reddish eyes albinos have have usually developed abnormally, and so they often struggle with depth perception and focussing on objects.
The increased difficulty in surviving on top of the fact that albinism occurs in just 1 in 100,000 mammal births means that albino squirrels are incredibly rare. However, it is important to draw a distinction between albino squirrels and the far rarer white squirrel.
White squirrels suffer from leucism, a mutated gene which turns their skin white but leaves their eyes black, meaning they do not suffer with any of the eye problems albinos have.
There are around five million grey squirrels in Britain, but experts believe there are fewer than one in a million that have leucism.
