Little Animal's Unique Look Is Baffling His Rescuers

The folks at The Pipsqueakery are used to taking in unique-looking animals. From Patagonian maras to bunnies with crooked heads, there’s no shortage of unorthodox-looking creatures at the Indiana-based rescue and sanctuary. But one recent newcomer has been turning heads more than most with his curious — and rare — coat.

Alistair, a fox squirrel, has no perception of his beauty. But his new caregivers can’t stop fawning over his natural looks.

“[T]his beautiful boy is a fox squirrel with some sort of genetic color morph,” The Pipsqueakery wrote on Facebook. “I’m not actually sure what it would be called, but he is gorgeous.”

Alistair’s coat is unlike any other squirrel The Pipsqueakery has ever encountered. While his belly and the inside of his legs are a typical tan color, his head and back are covered in bright white fur.

When the sanctuary posted his picture on Facebook, they quickly received a few comments explaining Alistair’s coat.

“He’s piebald. It’s an incomplete hypopigmentation related to leucism, but instead of being evenly spread, the affected pigment cells are unequally distributed, causing the patchwork coloring,” Tara Anne McCloskey wrote in a Facebook comment.

One blog post published by the Natural Resources Council of Maine (NRCM) confirms McCloskey’s explanation.

“More common than a complete absence of pigment cells is the ‘piebald’ effect, which are localized, irregular patches of white on an animal that has otherwise normal color patterns,” NRCM wrote on their website. “The word originates from ‘pie’ (as in the black and white plumage of the magpie) and ‘bald,’ meaning white patch or spot.”

While Alistair is the only Pipsqueakery resident with piebaldism, he’s hardly the only animal susceptible to the genetic mutation.

“We more often see piebaldism in horses (called ‘pintos’ or ‘paints’), as well as in cattle, dogs, cats, foxes, squirrels, pigs and snakes,” NRCM wrote.

Watch Alistair eat a snack here:

Despite his unique looks, Alistair’s piebaldism doesn’t affect his quality of life. In fact, the resilient squirrel, who survived a fall from a tree and an animal attack, is now living his best life in The Pipsqueakery’s care.

Sadly, Alistair is still dealing with some neurological symptoms from being attacked. But thanks to the constant love and affection he receives from the Pipsqueakery crew, he’s getting better each day.

“Alistair is doing well,” Alex Hernly, the founder and director of The Pipsqueakery, told The Dodo.