Cryptozoology: New Squirrel Variety Spotted in NWA

A patched squirrel spotted just north of Eureka Springs only a couple of days ago. (double click image for larger view)
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William L. Woods of Rogers Arkansas offers us this photograph of a possible new variety of squirrel. I don't know of any other population of patched squirrels in the wild. It was taken only a couple of days ago slightly north and east of the old Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs Arkansas. The hotel has quite a mysterious reputation in itself.

Only fox squirrels and grey squirrels are native to the region. Bill is an intrepid researcher and he did some asking around about the unusual squirrels. He found an old timer who told him that an elderly woman in the city once had some Japanese Albino squirrels as pets. Fearing that she would die, she released the squirrels into the wild. Bill speculates that the animals he observed (he got a glimpse of what he took to be another such animal moving through the woods about a half a mile away) might be hybrids of those released animals with the native population.