Your strangely coloured animal sightings

Variations in colour are a type of polymorphism. Albino, leucistic, erythristic, melanistic and xanthic animals have variations in their genes which affect the pigmentation levels in their fur and skin.

From stunning squirrels to ginger badgers

Rachel from Scotland caught this chap on camera.

You may remember reports of darker haired mutants from Autumnwatch last year. First sighted in the UK around 90 years ago, black squirrels are actually melanistic grey squirrels which means that they have high levels of the black pigment melanin.

Nobbyk, Shaun G, Sam Forrester and Gordon Reed reported seeing black squirrels. If you've seen a black squirrel the Forestry Commission would like to know about it.

Many of you have also spotted a lighter variant of this species and albino squirrels have been reported in the news in the past. MeerkatKent, Rachel and Andy Collins have all seen albino squirrels, which can be identified by their white fur and pink eyes. It is thought that the odds of a pure white squirrel being born are one to 100,000 against!

Melanism and albinism occur across many species: many of you had seen black wild rabbits, Matthewnewsome, LancelotHogben and Draki reported white deer, Babz reported seeing a white fox, and Ian H and David Gardiner spotted near-white badgers.

The "Ghost badger" by David Gardiner

This badger is probably erythristic and Springwatch presenter Gordon Buchanan spotted a similarly ginger badger in 2009.

Colin Pickett spotted this remarkable albino mink along a sea loch in Scotland.

Albino mink by Colin Pickett

Wildliferescuer had an albino hedgehog brought in to Vale Wildlife Hospital where they have had blond hedgehogs before. Alan Titchmarsh was lucky enough to see blond hedgehogs on Alderney.

Boyall, James Lowen and Michael Southcott had all seen white red kites.

A white red kite by Michael Southcott.

In some species such as blackbirds it is highly unlikely that pure white individuals will survive as they are so conspicuous to predators. Other albino individuals such as the albino fallow deer that Gordon Buchanan spotted on Mull can remain relatively unaffected.

Partially patched

Plenty of you had also seen partially white animals. This is usually what is known as leucism which is a reduced pigmentation that can affect patches or all of the animal's body surface.

Leucistic crow with white wing tips by MrsFlutterby

We also had reports of leucistic greenfinches from LateNightSkies, and ravens and starlings with white wings, but it's not just birds and mammals that are affected.

Pretty in pink

Colourful grasshopper by Strawdot

And last but not least N-ewt found this wonderful yellow newt which we think is xanthic. Xanthism is a loss of darker pigments which allow a yellow colour to be dominant.

Some of your strange sightings may have been of exotic species that have been introduced into our country from abroad or have escaped from private collections.

Thank you for all your comments and please keep them coming!