Discovering The Enigmatic Black Squirrels In South Dakota’s Wildlife

I'm intrigued. I've been walking the earth for quite a few years now and I have to tell you that up until this year, I don't THINK that I had seen a Black Squirrel in my life.

Recently I've seen several around Sioux Falls and in particular we have one that's built an apartment, with a view just outside my office window.

Now, the photo isn't the best. I had to snap it quickly to catch this sneaky Sioux Falls critter. They are tricky to get a good picture of, but he or she is a pretty little thing.

What Are The Black Squirrels I Saw in South Dakota?

The black squirrels we see around here are not a special breed, they are most likely just regular squirrels with black fur.

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The bulk of squirrels in our area are fox squirrels or the eastern gray squirrels. Within the populations of fox squirrels and eastern gray squirrels, once in a while one is born with black fur thanks to a genetic quirk.

Several theories have surfaced as to why the black morph occurs, with some suggesting that the black morph is a selective advantage for squirrels inhabiting the northern ranges of the species, with the black-fur providing a thermal advantage over its non-melanistic counterpart. -Wikipedia

These are the rascals you see here in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While they are part of our common squirrel communities, it turns out they are kind of a rarity too.

According to Mental Floss' Jake Rossen, black squirrels are relatively rare, constituting just one in 10,000 of the seemingly ubiquitous rodents. Today, the animals are seen in both their native home of North America, including sites as wide-ranging as Ontario, Washington, D.C. and Ohio, and the United Kingdom.

How about you? Have you seen a black squirrel in your neighborhood here in Sioux Falls?

MORE: How To Eliminate Squirrels From Your Bird Feeder In South Dakota

Thank you for sharing this story with your squirrel-loving friends on Facebook and Twitter!

I would also like to thank spellcheck. There is no way on earth I could have written this story without it.