Until now, I never came across any mention of black squirrels in a mammal field guide. After contacting some biologists, I learned that black squirrels are just gray squirrels in a black coat. One can compare it with the phenomenon of the big, black cats such as panthers, jaguars and servals, a question of melanism. Black squirrels are only found in the northern United States and Canada, which explains my strange title. - CB