Albino Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Out and about on a Sunday walk, deep in the Sussex countryside, I spotted a white tail in distant undergrowth.

To my absolute delight and surprise, it turned out to be this albino squirrel!

I managed several photos before it saw me and took off, so alas no video.

In mammals, albinism occurs when an individual inherits one or more mutated genes from both parents that interfere with the body’s production of melanin, the main pigment that determines the colour of skin, fur, and eyes.

The odds of a gene mutation producing an albino squirrel are approx. 1 in 100,000, or 10 in a million.

There are approx. 5 million grey squirrels in the UK which means only around 50 are albino.

This was quite a special find.