Colorado Parks and Wildlife Shares Video of Rare Leucistic Squirrel Sighting
From bears and birds, to bobcats, fish and many other wild animals, Colorado Parks and Wildlife rangers love to share sightings with the public via their social media pages, and we definitely enjoy seeing them.
In the past, CPW has shown us what a melanistic squirrel looks like, after one was spotted in a resident's yard in Littleton. And last week, a CPW ranger had another rare run-in with the same species.
On September 10, Ranger Dale encountered a leucistic squirrel while on duty at Staunton State Park near Conifer. Opposite of the melanistic squirrel with jet black fur, this critter's coat was almost entirely white.
According to CPW, leucistic animals lack pigment either partially or all over their bodies. Leucisim is recessive genetic trait, and isn't very common to see among wildlife. It can also be referred to as “pied” or “piebald.”
This trait does not affect the pigment of the eyes, which helps to easily determine whether or not the animal is albino or leucistic.