In Search of the Melano Groundhog

Last week I discovered a black groundhog (woodchuck) at the Maine Audubon Center at Gilsland Farm.  It was the first black groundhog that I had ever seen and I thought he looked like an adorable Tasmanian Devil :)

A black groundhog, also known as a melano groundhog at Gilsland Farm.

 After searching around online I discovered that he (or she) is a rare black woodchuck known as a melano.  Melano is essentially the opposite of albino.  Albinos have a lack of melanin and melanos have an excess amount.  See Wiki on Melanism.  I learned something new from this groundhog!  I had never heard of a melano before looking it up and I suppose since it is less startling than an albino (and lacks red eyes) that people don't really hear about them. The gene that causes it is a dominant one and I think there have been generations of melano groundhogs at Gilsland Farm.  While doing a Google image search for Gilsland Farm I came across this link (Queen of the Woodchucks) about woodchucks being tracked there and there is a picture that appears to be of a melano woodchuck from July 2002.  I didn't see any mention of it being melano so I am not sure if they realize that they found a rare woodchuck in the plethora that they have on the property :-)

I was disappointed that I didn't get a good picture of his face so I went back there to see if I could find him around dusk since all of the groundhogs are out enjoying dinner around then.  I came across 10-15 different woodchucks, but didn't find my melano again :-(

There was this cutie who thought he could hide from me under a shed.

Groundhog version of Peek-a-Boo?

There was this guy who was not at all shy about eating in front of the camera.

Hopefully I will find the melano again this summer.  It'll be a photography win ;)