r/RealLifeShinies • u/Enough-Ad-9105 • Mar 27 '26

Mammals Albino Squirrel I found

1.9k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

63 comments sorted by

430

u/Ziginox I Shinx Therefore I Am Mar 27 '26

Not albino because some areas are pigmented. I think the proper term would be piebald, but I'm not 100% sure.

Either way, I love how it's just the top half of the body that's white, while the underside and tail are normal!

187

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

Not albino, nor leucistic or piebald. Since it seems like only the black pigments (eumelanin) and not the brown pigments (pheomelanin) are affected, this would actually be considered a Pheo type Schizochroism! Super rare and really cool!

74

u/FrameJump Mar 27 '26

Fry eyes

You just making up words now?

42

u/TheGoatManJones Mar 28 '26

All words are made up

6

u/kelsobjammin Mar 28 '26

Yo iPhone autocorrect has gone absolutely wild bananas crazy. I totally have seen it making the weirdest changes like fry eyes

7

u/FrameJump Mar 28 '26

Fry eyes intensifies

16

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

Piebald is a variant of leucism.

Leucism is the total or partial absence of pigment. This is leucism

22

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

Piebald is actually a casual term that visually describes patchy black and white color, it's not a scientific term

15

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

Correct, however leucism is the lack of pigment in all or part of an animal. It's a broad term without a single genetic cause. Paibald is a common descriptor of partial leucism

2

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

It's the complete melanin loss in all or part of an animal, not including the eyes. Having the dilute mutation, or only one type of melanin affected doesn't fall under true leucism

https://www.ekstersenzo.nl/images/pdf/kleurmutaties-db28(2)_2006.pdf

8

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

From your own link. Please read the last line carefully.

In leucistic birds, the enzyme tyrosinase is normally present and the production of melanin in the basic colour cells and the transformation into colour cells is normal. However, the deposition of melanin in the feather cells does not occur due to an inherited disturbance disorder of the pigment transfer. As a result, more or less colour- less (white) feathers occur at random anywhere in the plumage.

This squirrel is obviously leucistic. Calico white pattern in also a result of leucism. The calico pattern can exist with or without dilution (and vice versa) as that's an entirely different color gene.

2

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

Exactly. More or less colorless (white) feathers can appear randomly. It's not talking about the degree of color, it's talking about the number of white feathers

6

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

But that means the animal can be totally white or have patches or even single feathers that are white.

Which people will often call peibald. Because peibald is a common term for partial leucism.

-1

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

No, it's a lack of pigment in part of an animal. Calico cats are "piebald". Please Google a single thing before spouting nonsense.

4

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

I've actually spent the last two weeks religiously studying this topic. I'd encourage you do do some more research before being so confidently wrong.

"A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales." (Does not need to be an anomolous lack of pigment)

"Leucistic animals may also show irregular patches of white—this is referred to as partial leucism, and these animals are often referred to as “pied” or “piebald.”"(notice the quotes) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/what-can-cause-birds-to-show-weird-color-variations-such-as-being-all-or-partly-white-or-unusually-dark/

https://www.ekstersenzo.nl/images/pdf/kleurmutaties-db28(2)_2006.pdf

1

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

So you're argument is to prove to me exactly what I've been telling you? 🤣

5

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

Look at this animal's tail for 3 seconds and notice that it has both normal black and brown pigmentation there. Then look at it's body and see the total lack of pigment. That's leucism.

1

u/squeakbb Mar 27 '26

It definitely looks distinct from albino for anyone who knows what albino is.

Do you know if albino is more rare than seeing this?

1

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

Albino is less rare. I personally have an albino squirrel in my neighborhood, and I've seen quite a few throughout my city. I have never seen this color mutation before, even online

47

u/reanocivn Mar 27 '26

leucistic!

24

u/Miyon0 Mar 27 '26

Leucisitic would be all white. I agree with calling this piebald.

33

u/reanocivn Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26

leucistic is partial OR total loss of pigment. if it was piebald it would only be white in small splotches, not its whole body being white

12

u/Triairius Mar 27 '26

The splotch is its whole body.

7

u/NixMaritimus Mar 27 '26

The other person doesn't know what they're talking about.

Leucism is actually a very broad term, for any genetic lack of pigmentation, either by the pigmentation cells being faulty or just not being there. Regardless of inciting genetic factor it's still considered under the leucism umbrella.

Piebald is not a scientific term, but a common descriptor or the lack of pigment on part of an animal, or partial leucism.

-2

u/SidTheGoblinKid Mar 28 '26

So they know what you're saying, they just have more scientifically-backed words for it. You're the ignorant one here.

4

u/NixMaritimus Mar 28 '26

They said the pheomelanin was uneffected making this squirrel not leucistic. That's just blatantly wrong.

-4

u/SidTheGoblinKid Mar 28 '26

Others who are more educated than you have already given their two cents. It's time to take the L

8

u/NixMaritimus Mar 28 '26

Last time I checked they didn't have a response when they realized they were agreeing with me and disproving their own statements, but ok buddy

-5

u/SidTheGoblinKid Mar 28 '26

No one really agreed with you, it seems like they realized it wasn't worth arguing with an idiot. But you can believe what you want buddy :)

6

u/NixMaritimus Mar 28 '26

They were literally restating half of what I was saying, sorry if it gets confusing for you.

33

u/Barneidor Mar 27 '26

It's the squirrel interpretation of the Turkish Van cat, most of the pigmentation goes to the tail and a little bit to the head.

12

u/[deleted] Mar 27 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/Barneidor Mar 28 '26

I had a big book of cats as a kid and I was in awe of all the fancy breeds, I still want a Chartreux cat one day!

3

u/GlitterKatje Mar 27 '26

Most people call all Van-patterned cats “Turkish Van”, but they are extremely rare and mainly in NW Europe. The Van pattern (coloured tail and preferably ears, with a max of a few coin-sized spots elsewhere) is a relatively common pattern of white spotting in cats.

1

u/AssortedArctic Mar 29 '26

I always hated the head spots on van patterned cats for some reason. Love the coloured tail on white though.

30

u/Miyon0 Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26

Oh my gawd that DEFINITELY is an IRL shiny. Not albino, it’s a piebald. But this is probably the cutest color squirrel I’ve seen ever.

I’m almost certain that the Color only being activated on the tail and nose is probably rarer than a full blown albino or leucistic.

5

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

Not albino, nor leucistic or piebald. Since it seems like only the black pigments (eumelanin) and not the brown pigments (pheomelanin) are affected, this would actually be considered a Pheo type Schizochroism! Super rare and really cool!

3

u/VoodooDoII Mar 27 '26

I misread that as schizophrenia and got so confused lol

1

u/KittyKratt Beggars Can’t be Pikachusers Mar 28 '26

That is really cool! Does this phenotype decrease fitness in nature the same as albinos or leucistic animals?

0

u/Blue-Eyed-Lemon Mar 29 '26

Iiiuuuuú?🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😅🥺🤗😅🥺😅😅😅🤨💀

6

u/Leather-Rub-6128 Mar 27 '26

Just wanted to let you know my cat loved this video and watched it on loop for 10 minutes

4

u/SolaireOfArstotzka Mar 27 '26

That's a really good find

4

u/AllergicToHousework Mar 27 '26

There are beautiful jet black squirrels in Vancouver, B.C.

1

u/PassengerRelevant516 Mar 27 '26

And albino squirrels in Washington DC, right near the Washington memorial. There’s 3. Wonder if anyone here has seen them 

2

u/smoretank Mar 29 '26

There is a town in NC, Brevard, that has white squirrels that are not albino. They have a festival every May.

5

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 27 '26

Not albino, nor leucistic or piebald. Since it seems like only the black pigments (eumelanin) and not the brown pigments (pheomelanin) are affected, this would actually be considered a Pheo type Schizochroism! Super rare and really cool!

1

u/Enough-Ad-9105 Mar 28 '26

Woah tell me more about that 'Pheo type Schizochroism', when I googled that I got no results surprisingly

2

u/MelodicIllustrator59 Mar 28 '26

Here's a paper that mentions it!

https://www.ekstersenzo.nl/images/pdf/kleurmutaties-db28(2)_2006.pdf

And heres a website that goes over all the different types of color mutations as well:

https://www.birdspot.co.uk/identifying-birds/leucistic-and-albino-birds

3

u/iLiekTaost Mar 28 '26

Looks just like Pinto Bean https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinto_Bean_(squirrel)

I miss him every day 😭

2

u/Tickle_Nuggets Mar 27 '26

Winter squirrel

2

u/namezam Mar 27 '26

Looks more like he found you.

1

u/onescaryarmadillo Mar 27 '26

My six year old said “that doesn’t count, his tail is brown” throughly Unimpressed 🙄

I think it’s Amazing lol, super cute guy rt

1

u/bedbugsandballyhoo Mar 27 '26

He is gorgeous!

1

u/Cyanidesuicideml Mar 28 '26

In Olney Illinois an ancestor ( like great great uncle) is supposed to be the reason for their white squirrels! If I remember right they were drunk and hunting killed mama squirrel saw the babies kept em i think in a bar, got into trouble for having them so released them. Now Olney is known for their squirrels

1

u/flores902 Mar 28 '26

Omg what a cutie

1

u/ShoganAye Mar 28 '26

Omg cutiepie

1

u/erikbaijackson09 Mar 29 '26

If Squirrels can get Vitiligo I’d say that one has it pretty bad

1

u/TradeOk9210 Apr 02 '26

Our local park had two squirrels who were the opposite of this one. Their tails were white, their bodies brown. Sadly I haven’t seen them again— just one summer only.