The results of a recently published study conducted in Montreal, Canada by researchers at McGill University suggest where gray squirrels live appears to have an impact on the color of their coats.

       According to the study’s senior author, Allison Roth, the amount of forest cover and other factors found in urban areas seem to affect the color of the animals’ hair.  The researchers learned that the squirrels inhabiting those neighborhoods in the city with colder winter temperatures and more trees are more likely to display black coats. In comparison, squirrels that live in the more urbanized and warmer areas of Montreal were more likely to have gray coats.

       According to the author, “People often think of cities as a single type of environment, but our findings show that conditions animals experience can vary dramatically from one neighborhood to another,” Roth went on to say, “These local differences, along with barriers such as rivers, can shape how wildlife populations evolve, which means we need to look beyond simple urban-rural comparisons to understand adaptation in cities.”