Rockford Woman Spots Rare Black Squirrel In Her Tree

Have you spotted an all-black squirrel? If so, go buy a lottery ticket because the odds of seeing one of these squirrels is about 1 in 10,000. Dawn Cunningham of Rockford saw what she believed to be a black squirrel. To be sure it wasn't a black cat, she grabbed her glasses to confirm, and, yup, she was correct.

I've never seen a black squirrel but immediately wonder if there are any superstitions or 'legends" behind these animals. Here's are notes about the black squirrel.

Are black squirrels a sign of good or bad luck?

Legend has it, Native Americans blamed solar eclipses on black squirrels.

Therefore, a black squirrel is the enemy of humanity and needs to be destroyed if mankind wants to enjoy the heat and light of the sun. (WorldBirds.org)

Why are they black?

They're actually a grey squirrel but there's a reason their fur appears black, according to MentalFloss.com.

The black squirrel is actually a gray squirrel with a faulty pigment gene carried over from the fox squirrel that turns their fur a darker shade.

Are black squirrels more aggressive than "normal" squirrels?

Apparently, according to Yahoo!, these little bastards are bullies to other squirrels.

They are more aggressive and territorial than the grey squirrels too, and the result is that the black squirrels will usually run all the other squirrels out of an area.

How do you get rid of them?

Just like other squirrels, black squirrels love food and you can get rid of them the same way you would regular squirrels.

You can use deterrents such as pepper spray and peppermints which will keep the squirrels away from your house. (Pet Wiki)

What does it mean if a squirrel wags its tail?

It's telling you something is going down and it's probably not good. This, coming from Mercury News.

The primary message a squirrel sends with its wagging tail is a warning. If they see something dangerous or suspicious, they wag their tails to alert other squirrels.

Now you know a little bit more about black squirrels.

JB Love is ½ of  Q98.5's Lil Zim & JB In The Morning, weekday mornings from 5:00 a.m. to 10 a.m. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.