THE rarity of elusive “1 in 100,000” albino squirrels has been questioned after several Scots have shared their sightings of the red-eyed rodent in and around Edinburgh.
One local shared a snap taken yesterday of one of the critters on the walkway next to the River Almond in the capital.
A slew of responses had others posting their own pictures of the squirrels, with claims that the city may be home to a high number of the albino variety following several sightings in recent years.
They are a genetic anomaly of the grey squirrel, with some reports claiming there are only around 50 of them in the UK, with the odds of spotting one reportedly a slim 1 in 100,000.
The image shows the pure white, bushy-tailed squirrel perched on a wooden fence alongside the footpath.
Its red eyes and pink ears clearly identify it as an albino, rather than the more common leucistic white squirrel, which would have dark eyes and only patches of white fur.
An online documentation of sightings of white squirrels in the UK estimates there have been around 400 spotted in the past six years.
It also suggests they may be becoming more prevalent due to having made their habitats in spaces such as public parks, where there is a lower risk of predators.
Research has also shown that albino white squirrels’ eyesight is not as impaired as other albino mammals, with only a 5% reduction in vision.
The snap was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “White squirrel on the Almond River Walkway.”
It has since received over 400 likes and a host of comments from Scots quick to share their own experiences.
One said: “I love how albino squirrels are presumed urban myths.
“When I lived in Edinburgh I saw one running across the grass at Craighouse Campus while I was doing my photocopying. I was so chuffed with myself.”
Another commented: “We have had one visiting our garden daily in Gorgie for 10 years now.”
A third wrote: “Nice work, I saw one recently in North Berwick but I was too slow with the phone and it ran away before it could get a photo.”
Another added: “I talked to someone who works for a wildlife charity in Edinburgh after seeing a couple of white squirrels, and apparently there’s quite a high population of them specifically in the west of Edinburgh, some kind of super local genetic anomaly.”
A fifth joked: “It’s just a rat with good PR.”
