“Home of the White Squirrel”

Marionville has a population of white squirrels, which is one of a handful of such populations in the United States. They can be seen in yards near the Ozarks Methodist Manor.

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Albino and White Squirrels

One of the ways that squirrels affect human society is inspired by the fascination that people seem to have over local populations of white squirrels (often misidentified as being albino). This manifests itself by the creation of social group communities that form from a commonly shared interest in these rare animals. Other impacts on human society inspired by white squirrels include the creation of organizations that seek to protect them from human predation, and the use of the white squirrel image as a cultural icon.

Although these squirrels are commonly referred to as “albinos”, most of them are likely non-albino squirrels that exhibit a rare white fur coloration known as leucism that is as a result of a recessive gene found within certain eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) populations, and so technically they ought to be referred to as white squirrels, instead of albino.

A project run by Untamed Science is seeking to report and document the occurrence of both white squirrels, albinos, and other piebald morphs. Users are encouraged to submit their sightings.

Local Pride

Olney, Illinois, known as the “White Squirrel Capital of the World”, is home of the world’s largest known white squirrel colony. These squirrels have the right of way on all streets in the town, with a $500 fine for hitting one. The Olney Police Department features the image of a white squirrel on its officers’ uniform patches. Along with Olney, there are four other towns in North America that avidly compete with each other to be the official “Home of the White Squirrel”, namely: Marionville, Missouri; Brevard, North Carolina; Exeter, Ontario; and Kenton, Tennessee, each of which holds an annual white squirrel festival, among other things designed to promote their claim of “White Squirrel Capital”.

A list of white squirrel sightings around the world is maintained by the White Squirrel Research Institute, a group based in Brevard, North Carolina. Other towns that have reported white squirrel populations in North America (although not necessarily competing to be the “official” white squirrel capital) include Bowling Green, Kentucky; Columbia, Mississippi; Dayton, Ohio; DeForest, Wisconsin; Queenstown, Maryland;[citation needed] Stratford, Connecticut; and some of the snowbelt cities in the Western, Central and Finger Lakes regions of New York State (Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca and Syracuse). White squirrels have also been spotted in Broad Ripple Village, Indianapolis. The Trinity Bellwoods neighborhood of Toronto, Ontario is locally known for white squirrel sightings.

Note: The Link takes you to YouTube Video. The Facts & Photos are from wikipedia.org