The trouble with the Internet is that one hardly ever knows whether people are telling the truth. The nubile 17 year old girl in the chatroom is a middle aged bloke with an unwholesome leer on his face, the altruistic lawyer who has an unclaimed fortune with your name oin it, is a Nigerian bloke in an Internet Cafe, and the bloke offering you methadone through the mail is an FBI agent. So we have no guarantee that this following video was actually shot in Florida. But then again we don't know that it wasn't.
The blurb accompanying it says: This video was shot in Orlando FL. There is a unknown black animal running around through the tree tops. What is it? A bat? Doesn't seem to have any wings. A cat? Its alot smaller than a cat and runs through the trees alot faster than a cat. So what is it?????
Well its not either a cat or a bat. We think lemur. But how about you?
Towards the end of the shot, when the thing points its head towards the camera you can see a glint of eyes on each side of the head, which rules out a lemur as their eyes are much more forward-pointing.
It's a melanistic Eastern grey squirrel. On my boyhood farm, we had tons of them-- and still do.
They are uncommon in the South, though. In some parts of Canada, they make up the majority population of Eastern Gray Squirrels. It's very unusual for one to appear in Florida.
Lewis and Clark, who traveled down the Ohio on their way to the Missouri, saw hundreds of melanistic and normal gray squirrels crossing the Ohio. They had a large Newfoundland dog on board with them named "Seaman." Seaman had been trained as a retriever, and he was sent after the squirrels. He retrieved a great many squirrels, which were taken for the pot.
I agree it looks more lemur-shaped than cat-shaped. It's a pity we don't get to see it moving or how it holds its tail.
ReplyDeleteTowards the end of the shot, when the thing points its head towards the camera you can see a glint of eyes on each side of the head, which rules out a lemur as their eyes are much more forward-pointing.
ReplyDeleteMelanistic squirrel?
It's a melanistic Eastern grey squirrel. On my boyhood farm, we had tons of them-- and still do.
ReplyDeleteThey are uncommon in the South, though. In some parts of Canada, they make up the majority population of Eastern Gray Squirrels. It's very unusual for one to appear in Florida.
Lewis and Clark, who traveled down the Ohio on their way to the Missouri, saw hundreds of melanistic and normal gray squirrels crossing the Ohio. They had a large Newfoundland dog on board with them named "Seaman." Seaman had been trained as a retriever, and he was sent after the squirrels. He retrieved a great many squirrels, which were taken for the pot.
As soon as I saw the animal I thought "squirrel".
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a squirrel; the ears are the giveaway, without even needing to start up the clip.
ReplyDelete