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At the moment, updated versions of the Squirrel pages can be found at: www.rpi.edu/~akarij
Yes, there is an albino squirrel that lives at RPI. In fact, there are two as far as I've seen, and maybe more. I find it absolutely hilarious that something as freakish as this- which I've never seen before, having lived in the northeast my whole life- occurs more than once right here at the good ol' Tute.
We've named the squirrel Alby for lack of a better name, or a reliable means of communicating with him to ask what he'd rather be called.
A record of my quest for the Albino Squirrel...
14 Oct 99: Mark must have looked awfully silly chasing squirrels, but he got some more pictures, some of which are very good and one of which is a contender for tshirt status. Take a look at them here.
13 Oct: I scanned the photos. After I cropped them down to only the squirrel, they really did turn out small. I could enlarge them, but the resolution will suffer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy what I have so far.
12 Oct: Got him! Monday we took a walk, and we found him our second time around. Got some nice clear pics, developed them today, and they're nice, if a little small. Buy me a Canon EOS telephoto lens if you want bigger ones- I can't get closer without scaring him
9 Oct: Today is a beautiful Fall day. The kind of day where you'd expect squirrels to be out in droves. So I get my camera, buy some decent film, and hike around campus for a couple hours. And you guessed it- Alby was nowhere to be found. I got some photos of his (her?) average-colored plebe minions instead.
Squirrels are smarter than they lead you to believe. The grey ones are fairly photogenic as long as you don't run at them. The albinos saw me coming and stayed in the trees. Damnit. A breed of squirrel that is smart, ambitious, and devious- a perfect fit for RPI. The mindless grey drones are the ones who say "Rensselaer" and smile cheerfully for the camera. As members of the Army Of The Acorn, they are under the control of the Albinos, and are trained to act dumb to maintain the illusion of squirrels being harmless. But, under the cover of night, their true way is revealed, as they mark their territory:
| Half And Half: Obviously related to the Albino Squirrel, his well-fed tummy and white markings indicate he is a high-ranking officer in the Army Of The Acorn. | 
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| A typical foot soldier of the Army Of The Acorn, showing his camoflage capability. Dozens of these roam the grounds at RPI, collecting supplies to fuel the Squirrel's vast empire, and defending it against the swarms of predatory birds living on the JEC and CII roofs. His lack of white fur excludes him from the ruling caste, and he's pretty dopey looking anyway. | |
Imagine (some of) these on a poster or tshirt under a nice big picture
of RPI's One True Mascot.
The Albino Squirrel eats stainless steel nuts!
The Albino Squirrel drinks Clorox, so you don't have to!
The Albino Squirrel was at Chernobyl- twice!
The Albino Squirrel and his squirrely minions rule the Carnegie
Building!
The Albino Squirrel has a key to the Cogswell Lab chemical stockroom.
The Albino Squirrel knows when you you have your camera ready, and when
you've forgot it.
The Albino Squirrel knows exactly how many acorns lie between the Sage
and Amos Eaton buildings.
The Albino Squirrel is capable of bending space-time with his mind to
provide near-instantaneous transport. There's Spice in those acorns, you
know.
Albino Squirrel: Not as fuzzy as Libby, but he's working on it.
24 Oct 1999 by Jameel Akari
Made with UW PICO v3.5 just because I can.