Albino Squirrel

Meet my new friend:  Lucky the Albino Squirrel.   Word has it if you see a white squirrel -- and even better yet, if you spot an albino squirrel -- you'll receive some good luck.  And I have to say, it's absolutely true.  The first day we saw Lucky, we had two great pieces of good luck come our way!  Ever since then, the good luck has just kept on rolling in.  So I've created this beautiful portrait of Lucky in order that you, too, will be able to add him to your spaces and bring some good luck into your life.  

I've had a few people want to argue with me and say he's not an albino squirrel.  In some of his candid shots I've shared on Facebook, his eyes look dark.  As you can tell, they aren't.  They may look darker in certain shots due to lighting and the distance he is away from the camera.  Keep in mind, many shots of Lucky are taken with him 10-20 feet or so off the ground.  Yes, I use a large telephoto lens, but it doesn't work miracles and pull in a close up of the eye of a small squirrel at such a distance. :)

Lucky's eyes are BLUE with a RED center.  According to this website, "In another mutation, one in the genes that are directly responsible for producing melanin, no cells make the pigment and the squirrel is not only white but has pink or blue eyes. These true “albinos” are reported even less commonly."  And according to this website, "An albino will have pink or light blue eyes, shades that are very uncommon to the animal. A white, non-albino will have eyes that are usual color of its species, usually black. The estimated rate of albinism in squirrels is estimated at one in 100,000."  

So, despite the fact in some of my photos Lucky's eyes might look darker, they are not.  I've shot over 1,000 photos of him so far, and even though the camera might not reflect his true eye color in every shot, I am well aware of what color his eyes are, and he is an albino squirrel.

Lucky has three brothers/sisters, all gray with black eyes, and his mother is gray with black eyes.  Keep an eye on my animal album and you'll see more photos of all of them soon.  Lucky is the first albino white squirrel born in this neighborhood in over ten years.  We had another white squirrel a neighbor had brought in several years ago.  He stayed 6-9 months before disappearing.  We think he was ran off by the regulars, who didn't appreciate an outsider being brought in.  With Lucky having been born here, we're hopeful he'll be more accepted and remain a resident for a very long time.

InJoy,

Jai