A rare albino squirrel, which is very rare, was caught on camera while it was playing in a park near south London.
Lily, 27, was thrilled to finally capture the rare squirrel on camera. She had seen it before but not as fast as she should have.
She said that she couldn’t believe what she saw. Although we have seen it several times, we never had the opportunity to capture it on film. This is a great opportunity to catch it today!
Footage shows the fluffy creature foraging in the leaves of South Norwood recreational ground in south London this morning.
Lily, 27, was thrilled to finally capture the rare squirrel on camera. She had seen it before, but not as fast as she wanted.
The squirrel then rustles through leaves, before darting up a tree to stop and take a look at Lily. The squirrel seems to notice Lily filming it and climbs up the tree’s branches, disappearing out of sight.
The condition is extremely rare in Britain, and only one in 100,000 squirrels was born with it in 2010.
It is caused by a rare genetic mutation that prevents pigment development in animals.
Albino can be born to almost all mammals. Reptiles, amphibians, and lower vertebrates may also be albino. However, they have other pigment cells which can make them appear whiter.
The squirrel then rustles through leaves, before darting up a tree to stop and take a look at Lily. The squirrel seems to notice Lily filming it and climbs up into the branches of the tree before disappearing.
The condition is very rare in Britain and only one in 100,000 squirrels are born albino (stock photo).
The gene is not dominant. This means that an albino squirrel may have grey siblings.
Their white fur makes them more susceptible to predators because they lack natural camouflage.
Albino animals lack melanin. They are white with no markings, and have unpigmented rose eyes.
A website was created to allow the public to record sightings. It shows that more than 200 white squirrels have been spotted in London, Kent, Surrey, and Sussex.