MICHIGAN’S BLACK SQUIRRELS: Evil, Alien or Otherwise?

To anyone who does not live in the Northern Midwest - Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin - black squirrels are an oddity. People who move here from the south or western states seem to be in awe of these animals (some black squirrels have even shown up in Connecticut and New Jersey).

For some reason, there are folks who believe these squirrels are harbingers of evil.
Do they bring bad luck?
Do evil spirits or demons inhabit their bodies?
Were they put on earth by the devil himself?

Oh, come on...of course not.

True, they seem to be more aggressive than grey or red squirrels, but that's why cereal mogul W.K. Kellogg is said to have them brought to Michigan. Kellogg wanted the black squirrels to attack and kill of all the red squirrels, which he felt were ruining the land. He is also said to have black squirrels shipped to the MSU campus to kill off the red ones.

By the way...have you seen any red squirrels lately? I haven't. Maybe the tale is true. I see plenty of brown ones, though.

Not all black squirrels kill the red ones...they are also known to breed together, with the babies mostly comin' out black.

Spotting a black squirrel is a fleeting event.....it just doesn't happen that often. But when you spot one, keep the knowledge that they are not evil, alien, or bloodthirsty. However, they mostly stay in dense areas, so the chances of seeing one running around your back yard are lessened.

Hey...they're only squirrels.