True albino squirrels have pink eyes. The melanin pigment which controls fur, scale, skin, hair and eye color has been turned off by a recessive gene. Leucism is often mistaken for albinism. Leucistic animals, such as white lions, are white or very pale, with dark eyes and some pigmentation, for example ghost markings. Chinchilla is sometimes mistaken for albinism, but is caused by a different mutation that affects the distribution of pigment on the hair shaft.
Date Submitted: December 28, 2008
Observer: Josh Simons
Observation Date: 5/8/04
Observation Time: 8:00 a.m.
Observation Location: Moose Hill Parkway
Plant or Animal? Animal
Common Name: White Squirrel (leucistic, variation of the Eastern Gray Squirrel)
Scientific Name: Sciurus carolinensis
Comments: None
More Information: White Squirrel Research Institute and Jamaica Pond's Albino Gray Squirrel