Odd-colored critter found at high school in India turns out to be ‘rare’ sight
Outside a high school in eastern India, an odd-colored creature climbed around the trees and went about its day. Its unique appearance caught the attention of locals and, eventually, scientists — for good reason.
It turned out to be “relatively rare” and a first-of-its-kind sight for the area.
Researchers visited Government Diakkawn High School in the state of Mizoram in late 2022 after locals reported seeing two “Thehlei-vâr,” or “white squirrels,” on the school grounds, according to a March 21 study in the peer-reviewed journal Records of the Zoological Survey of India.
Sure enough, researchers spotted a group of squirrels eating fruit in the trees. Most of the squirrels had a dark brown coloring but one was bright white, the study said.
Researchers identified the unusual animal as a hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrel with leucism.
Leucism occurs when an animal has “almost complete loss of pigmentation” but still keeps its “normal eye, nail, and skin colouration,” the study said. Leucism is sometimes confused with albinism, but the two conditions differ in eye color since albino animals have pink or red eyes.
Photos show the leucistic hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrel, which has a “complete white colouration” and “pinkish hue visible on the snout, ears, and feet.”
Normally, hoary-bellied Himalayan squirrels, also known as Callosciurus pygerythrus or Irrawaddy squirrels, are brown with a paler belly and paler patches on their hips, the study said. Another photo shows what the species’ usually looks like.
“The occurrence of leucism in small mammals is considered relatively rare,” researchers said. “This observation contributes significantly to the body of knowledge on colour aberrations in (squirrels), particularly within a region where such phenomena have not been documented before.”
Researchers observed the white squirrel over several months in 2022 and 2024, the study said. They concluded it was a female and, later on, noticed it “could be lactating, indicating reproductive activity.”
Study co-author Christopher Lawlor told McClatchy News in an April 21 email that the team is still looking for the second leucistic squirrel reported by locals.
A video shared on YouTube by SSA shagun in 2020 shows Government Diakkawn High School in Mizoram, one of the easternmost states in India bordering Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The research team included Lawlor, H. Lalthanzara and Lalrintluanga Hnamte.
