Pink squirrels: An update

Bill Kollar from Caroga, who photographed a white-colored red squirrel, responded to my inquiry as to whether they change colors with the seasons. His knowledge of Adirondack zoology is probably more extensive than mine, so I'll defer to him on this and the albino question.

Here's what he wrote:

Hello Bill,

No Red Squirrels do not turn white over the winter like some other animals. They retain their normal color phase. This particular squirrel, though almost totally white in appearance, is not a true albino. It still has dark colored eyes if it were an albino I believe they would be red in color with no pigment at all. It is hard to see in the photo but the belly or underside fur of the squirrel is it's normal pure white while the rest of the body is more of an off white, so there is also a bit of color there.

An interesting side note to this is that this Spring another Red Squirrel showed at the feeder that was normal in color with the exception that it had a totally white tail.

Ever Wonder?

Bill

And, while I'm on the subject of Pink Squirrels ... it just occurred to me that there's a cocktail by that name. Not my cup of tea at all. I don't even know what Noyaux is. But here's the recipe, courtesy of www.webtender.com:

Pink Squirrel

(the drink, not the small woodland mammal native to Caroga Lake, N.Y.)

Ingredients:

* 1 oz Creme de Noyaux

* 1 tblsp white Creme de Cacao

* 1 tblsp Light cream

Mixing instructions:

Shake all ingredients with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and serve.