Purple Squirrels
One purple version of a grey squirrel is a strange curiosity, but in recent years, they have been popping up all over the place, including both British and American examples! No definitive explanation has been offered for this curious coloring, but some suggestions are summarized at the bottom of this hub.
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Minnesota (1997)
This somewhat indistinct photograph shows a purple squirrel spotted by a resident of a town in Minnesota.
Pete (2008)
A purple squirrel turned up on the grounds of a school in Hampshire, United Kingdom. He was photographed several times and caused a great deal of speculation as to the cause of his unusual coloration.
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Pennsylvania (2012)
This purple squirrel was trapped for a few days in Pennsylvania and then released back into the wild. He caused a flurry of publicity, leading to the squirrel having a Facebook page and Twitter account.
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Squirrel (2012?)
Ryan Cheech Morrissey posted this more subtly colored squirrel on Facebook.
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Why are the purple?
Explanations offered for purple squirrels include:
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Squirrels get into ink or toner and spread it by grooming.
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Excess intake of bromide, such as from contaminated water. One possible source might be wastewater from hydraulic fracturing.
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Deliberate coloring by a researcher to track animals (seems unlikely).
As yet, there is no definite answer as to what is producing these purple squirrels--and no new examples have been spotted since 2012. So what caused a spate of sightings for just a few years remains unclear.