Wildlife doesn’t always follow the rules, and despite their name, Red Squirrels are sometimes black. PEI has a higher-than-average number of black-furred Red Squirrels (such as this one photographed by Dave Campbell), so let’s take a look at this phenomenon! In mammals, skin and hair colour are determined by how much and what type of melanin is produced. Genetics controls melanin production, and most individuals within a species have similar colours: for example, Skunks are

Welcome back to Ask a Naturalist: your own personal “Google” for information on all things natural on PEI! One of my favourite things...