An incredibly rare white squirrel has been snapped around Livingston this week.
A squirrel’s coat can be white due to two conditions, albinism and leucism.
It is likely that our Livingston squirrel is albino, due to the squirrel’s distinctive red eyes.
Albinism is an inherited genetic condition that can occur in humans as well - essentially an ‘albino’ has less melanin than usual in their body.
Melanin gives skin, hair, and eyes colour - producing our squirrel’s iconic white coat and red eyes.
The chances of albinism appearing in a squirrel is around 1 in 100,000, with an estimated 50 pure white squirrels around the UK.
Their pure white coat makes them easy to spot, and they’ve been pictured squirrelling their way around Livingston.
Most recent sightings have been around the Deans area - one local, Cheryl Hadden, used to have the porcelain rodent as a regular in her garden on Fintry Avenue - she said:
“We used to put food out for him!
“So I think he always came round to see if there was anything for him.”
It’s likely Livingston’s white squirrel is actually a grey squirrel - in name only of course - as most of the Lothian’s red squirrels went extinct from the introduction of grey squirrels to the UK’s ecosystem in the Victorian era.
Another local squirrel spotter sees the Livingston squirrel a couple of times a month at her garden on Harburn Avenue in Deans.
Rachel Potter reported seeing the albino squirrel just last week in Deans while walking her dog.
Given the locations of the squirrel sightings, it is likely that our Livingston squirrel lives somewhere in the woodlands around Neil Burn in Deans.
It’s possible that there is more than one albino squirrel in Livingston, as albinism for squirrels seems to be more common in the gene pool for squirrels around the wider Lothian region.
Judith Little snapped a pic of an albino squirrel on Murieston trail in 2015 while on a walk with her husband.
This sighting was seven years ago and over four miles from Deans, with the average life expectancy of a grey squirrel in the wild to be closer to 6 years.
It’s likely Livingston’s white squirrel is actually a grey squirrel - in name only of course - as most of the Lothian’s red squirrels went extinct from the introduction of grey squirrels to the UK’s ecosystem in the Victorian era.
Gill Hatcher, a communications and engagement officer who works for the campaign ‘Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels’ led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, spoke about albinism in squirrels, she said:
“It’s quite possible there is more than one albino squirrel in Livingston - while it’s still rare, it seems to be more common in the gene pool for squirrels in the Edinburgh / Lothians region.
“Usually in the wild albino animals are less likely to survive because they’re so bright - but Livingston is an urban environment that is densely populated.
“This means it’s likely that albino squirrels have a better chance of surviving to adulthood in Livingston as people often feed them in their gardens!
“In Scotland we have two types of squirrels, grey and red, you can tell the difference because grey squirrels tend to be bigger and bulkier and red squirrels have ear tufts in the summer months.
“While albinism can occur in both red and grey squirrels, it’s likely the one in Livingston is a grey squirrel as they’ve wiped out the local population of reds.
“With Save Scotland’s Red Squirrels we’re trying to protect red squirrels from greys in their most at-risk areas - mostly in the highlands and Tayside.”
Due to their reduced numbers, it is even less likely to encounter an albino red squirrel - although one has been spotted in Tayside recently.
While you’re not likely to spot a red squirrel in West Lothian - you can always report a sighting anywhere to Save Scotland’s Red Squirrels, who will use the information to help protect the species in our country.
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