What kind are the black squirrels?
Almost all of the black squirrels you see are actually eastern grey squirrels. Virtually all mammal species have a genetic characteristic that, if expressed, makes the animal’s fur all black. This phenomenon is called “melanism”. Some common examples are black jaguars, black lions, etc. Melanism in eastern grey squirrels is quite common and, in some areas, all or almost all of the eastern grey squirrels are entirely black (photo). Even though these squirrels are black, we still call them “grey squirrels” because that is the accepted common name for the species, which is known by the scientific name Sciurus carolinensis.
