For this blog post, I decided that I would go back to the basics. When I was in elementary school, one of the first English lessons I remember having was a talk on adjectives and feelings we associate with certain colors. For example, the color white is meant to be associated with ideas of goodness and purity, while green is connected with nature and envy. But, the color I remember getting the worst wrap was the color black, due to its ties with nothingness and anger.

This interpretation of color apparently coincides pretty well when it comes to fur color.

Squirrel fur color, that is.

Up until this point, I assumed that all squirrels had the same mannerisms. That they were all very spastic, quirky, and driven by food. But, after doing some extensive research (I typed squirrel fur colors into Google) some new information came to my attention. Black squirrels, which are native to the Midwestern United States, Ontario, Quebec, and parts of the Northeastern US and Great Britain, are actually significantly more aggressive than your average grey and red squirrels.

This difference in behavior is due to the squirrels’ higher levels of testosterone. This above-average level leads to the squirrels being “faster, fitter, fiercely territorial, and more aggressive.” More often than not, this means that black squirrels often beat out grey squirrels for both food and mates, which is ironic considering black squirrels are a sub-species of the grey squirrel (talk about betrayal, am I right or am I right).

So where did these black squirrels come from, and what environmental impact are they having in areas where they exist?

Now, it is still under dispute whether these mammals were dispersed throughout the England, the US and Canada after being brought from foreign lands, or whether the black subspecies was simply a genetic mutation, resulting in the development of this squirrel sub-species around the world. As far as their impact on their surrounding environments goes, they have been creating quite a bit of trouble. First of all, some scientists believe that this “mutation” makes the mammals more immune to diseases, which could lead to an increased overall squirrel population. And, just as I mentioned in one of my earlier articles, the grey squirrel in regions of England was harshly competing against the native red-squirrel, resulting in a large decrease in the red squirrel population. Now considering that the black squirrel is even more aggressive and territorial than the grey squirrel, they are obviously creating massive issues for both red and grey squirrels. In fact, black squirrels have become such an issue in parts of England, that in Cambridgeshire, England, as of 1958, all red squirrels have been extinct—the area now only consists of black squirrels.

Visual showdown– 3 ways this time. The black squirrel is cute but looks moderately aggressive.

I can’t believe I’ve never written about this topic before, so I figured now should indeed be the time.

So there’s really only so many things you can say about squirrels, especially the dark side of squirrels… I mean, squirrels in general just aren’t really all that dark (I mean this in a figurative sense, of course. Squirrels come in a variety of colors, including brown, grey, and black). In fact, most things about squirrels are pretty great, like the fact that they, I don’t know, WATER SKI.

Twiggy the squirrel (I should really say squirrels. The act has gone through many, many squirrels. They just keep renaming all of them Twiggy. Currently, they are on Twiggy #9) first began water skiing in 1979, when Chuck and Lou Ann Best, Deltona Florida citizens, decided nothing could be more fun than training a grey squirrel to water ski on the back of a remote controlled boat. Now it is important to note that the squirrels used in these water skiing performances are not taken from the wild against their will. You see, The Bests only train abandoned, orphaned squirrels to become the next great Twiggy.

Twiggy the squirrel is actually quite a popular act, despite how bizarre the concept may seem. Twiggy is on tour 9 out of 12 months of the year, and when not performing across the country, makes guest appearances on TV shows and movies, such as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgendy and Brad Paisley’s recent music video, Riverbank.

For her performances, Twiggy only uses the best of the best. The squirrel has a custom made boat that she skis behind, accompanied by her American flag-themed, custom made life jacket. Currently within her acts, she sports skills such as hand gliding and jet skiing, but is still in the process of learning wakeboarding.

Twiggy is also quite a character, according to the Bests. Her favorite foods include pistachios and cooked oatmeal, and she also loves to run around and play with her other rescued squirrel friends in her free-time. She is a very tame squirrel overall, obviously due to her constant exposure and interaction with humans, but also has several dislikes. According to the family, Twiggy strongly dislikes cranes (she has been attacked by one before) and loud rock music.

Twiggy even has her own Facebook page! The page provides updates to fans about her upcoming tour dates and other squirrel related stories. You can check it out if you don’t believe me… she also evidently works for her own company, according to the page– Twigy’s Inc!

https://www.facebook.com/twiggysrehab/

I also figured that I had to provide some photos and videos… this story isn’t nearly as exciting unless you see it in action. I promise that you won’t be disappointed!

Oh my god they even have stuffed animal squirrels driving the boat I can’t handle how cute this is.

She even has a legitimate sponsor. I can only hope to be as successful as this squirrel honestly.