A purple squirrel was found in Jersey Shore, Pa., on Sunday, by Percy and Connie Emert.
"We have bird feeders out in our yard, and the squirrels are constantly into them," said Jersey Shore resident Connie Emert. "My husband traps them and then sets them free elsewhere so they don't get into your bird feeders."
Emert said she had spotted a purple squirrel on her property but no one believed her.
"I kept telling my husband I saw a purple one out in the yard. 'Oh sure you did' he kept telling me," said Emert. "Well, he checked the trap around noon on Sunday and sure enough, there it was."
It was a warm and sunny day in Jersey Shore, Pa., on Sunday.
"The squirrel's been eating peanuts. That's what we used in the trap," she continued.
The Emerts currently do not know why the squirrel is purple.
"We have no idea whatsoever. It's really purple. People think we dyed it, but honestly, we just found it and it was purple."
The Emerts plan to release the squirrel back into the wild in the next few days.
"We put him in an extra big cage so he has room to run around, and we'll release him soon. In the meantime, all the neighbors have been by to see him. No one can believe we have a purple squirrel!"
The AccuWeather.com team is currently investigating why this squirrel is purple. Stay with AccuWeather.com for more developments.
Some AccuWeather.com employees have their own theories. Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity said, "The squirrel could have been looking for somewhere warm and fallen into a port-a-potty or something similar."
AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski has a different idea. "Squirrels get into all kinds of stuff. He could have gotten into some purple ink or purple paint at some point."
Local squirrel enthusiast Erik Stewart said, "If it has white hair on it at all, it's probably not dyed. I've had multiple squirrels as pets, though, and I've certainly never seen a purple one. I've seen dark red, light red, gray and brown, but never purple. Also, I've tried to dye my dog before, and trust me it didn't look like this. Though, I've only seen a picture, so your guess is as good as mine."
