While on their way home from the York Parks and Recreation Pumpkin Hunt, a local family encountered something utterly surprising that they didn’t even know existed.
A remarkable instance of nature’s wonder was fortuitously immortalized in a photograph.
The Kelley family from York, Maine, was leisurely driving back from a pleasant family outing when their 10-year-old son, Logan, spotted an unusual white shape alongside a serene road.
Their curiosity piqued, they decided to stop and investigate the little creature.
Unidentified Albino Animal
The strange white shape stood out distinctly against its natural surroundings, making it impossible to ignore.
It was as white as snow, tucked away among the green leaves of a tree.
“This white furry creature was hard to miss. We couldn’t determine what it was until we did some research,” Neil Kelley shared with The Dodo.
Eventually, they identified the unusual albino creature as a porcupine.
A notably rare porcupine.
According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, only about 1 in 10,000 porcupines are born with albinism.
Porcupines are primarily nocturnal, so seeing them active during daylight hours is quite uncommon.
The combination of its rarity as an albino and its diurnal appearance certainly made this a remarkable sighting.
“It didn’t seem startled or anxious. It appeared very calm and composed,” the Kelley family noted.
They observed the creature as it climbed up and down the tree, occasionally reaching heights of around 25 feet above the ground.
As described by the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, North American Porcupines spend a significant amount of time on the ground, yet are adept climbers and often ascend trees in search of food. [1]
In the winter, they typically feast on evergreen needles and the inner bark of trees, which is presumably what this albino porcupine was doing when the family spotted it.
An Unforgettable Encounter
After a brief while, the little albino porcupine chose to descend the tree and eventually vanished from view, darting deeper into the forest.
“It was located at the edge of a very secluded wooded area. We found it astonishing,” Kelley remarked to The Dodo.
Logan, their 10-year-old son, was captivated by the stunning creature, a moment he is unlikely to forget soon.
The family mentioned they had previously encountered an albino deer in their backyard, but never an albino porcupine.
Despite the fact that albino porcupines are remarkably rare, this was not the first such sighting reported in York County.
Just a few months before this encounter, an albino porcupine was seen in Kennebunkport, a coastal town in southern Maine.
As per News Center Maine, a woman from Kennebunkport spotted an albino porcupine at the Seashore Trolley Museum, likening it to a “throw pillow.”
She was quick to pull out her phone and record this remarkable video:
Nature is incredible, and one can never predict when they will witness something memorable.
References:
- Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. (2022, May 27). North American porcupine. Smithsonian’s National Zoo. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/north-american-porcupine
