Black Squirrels

[northside lurker]

I think they are probably invasive, even if they are thought to be the same species as the gray squirrel.  When I went to KSU, it was very very rare to see a non-black squirrel.

[jay]

Speaking of mean squirrels, did you ever encounter a red squirrel?  They are smaller than our common squirrels in Youngstown, but they are very aggressive and have no problem trying to take over one's garage.  They are very fast-moving on the ground and through the tree limbs.

Now let's get back to the black squirrels.  Have you ever heard the term invasive species?  This refers to a non-native species of animal or plant that is introduced into an ecosystem and then, having no natural control, tends to take over and dominate the ecosystem.  An example is English Ivy.  If left unchecked, it will eventually dominate your yard, climb trees, and climb your house too.  Will the same type of dominance happen with the black squirrels?  Will their introduction in Kent and in Canfield lead to the decline of the existing native squirrel populations?

[northside lurker]

Yep, they're practically a KSU mascot.  I've never had any problem with them, but I've heard people say they can be mean.  It's no wonder, on Kent's campus they are almost tame--they have no fear of people.

I didn't realize they had made it all the way here, though.

[ForumManager]

Canfield has a bunch...aren't they interesting?
I was stunned the first time I saw them. 
The people I was visiting said they are a nuisance.
Some Black Squirrel trivia from
http://www.educ.kent.edu/community/squirrel/sqatksu.htm
    *  In February 1961, Larry Wooddell, the superintendent of KSU's 500 acres, and Biff Staples, a Davey Tree expert, ventured to Ontario, Canada to obtain 10 cages with black squirrels.
    * Larry Wooddell reveled in rare and unusual plants, trees, and animals.
    * A second trip was made in early March in 1961 to London Park to obtain more squirrels.
    * By 1964, the Kent Record-Courier observed that there were up to 150 squirrels in the area.
    * No similar concentrations exist in the central and eastern parts of Ohio.
    * Today, the squirrels have been spotted in places such as: Warren, Cleveland, Barberton, Akron, and Canton.
    * Black squirrel are thought to be a color phase of the common gray squirrel family, not a separate species.
    * Both black and gray can be born in one litter, but the black strain seems to be dominant when they interbreed.
    * Black squirrels dislike being crowded by their own kind and the younger ones move away.
    * Corn is the favorite food of the squirrels.
    * The Ohio State Division of Wildlife lists them as game animals due to the fact that they taste like chicken.
    * Hibernation is not common as their coats are usually think and glossy and their tails bushy.
    * In addition to acclimatization, they have become accustomed to the heavy traffic of students on the KSU campus.
    * Aggression is one of the characteristics commonly attributed to the squirrels (they will target you).
    * Russell Foldessy, Superintendent of KSU grounds, says "They don't hurt anything, in fact the rabbits and chipmunks are harder on plants and in making holes in the ground."
    * An annual Black Squirrel Festival is held each fall at KSU featuring performers, black squirrel photo and drawing contests, an organizations fair, crafts displays, and a 4.2 mile Black Squirrel Run.
----------------------------------
So did they travel here from Kent?
Maybe someone trapped a few?

Here are articles about how they were imported into Kent Ohio from Canada.
They have a  Black Squirrel festival there.
http://www.registrars.kent.edu/home/SITE_NAVS/history.htm
http://www.victoria-park.com/ksu.htm

[jay]

I was traveling through Canfield today and noticed some black squirrels in one of the yards.  How many Mahoning Valley communities have black squirrels?