A woman in Pennsylvania says no one believed that she saw a purple squirrel in her backyard, until her husband caught the little guy in a trap and turned him into an Internet celebrity. Percy and Connie Emert of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania (yes, that's a real place) say they keep live squirrel traps in their backyard to keep the animals away from their bird feeders, and last weekend they snagged this creature whose fur has turned a bright shade of purple. Though he (or she) is not the first squirrel to be spotted in the wild with this unusual condition, experts are stumped as to what could have caused the squirrel to change colors. There are several theories, however: A bucket of paint, printer ink, genetic defects, falling into a port-a-potty, pranksters, or (most sinister) too much bromide left over from natural gas fracking. The Emerts released the unnamed rodent back into the wild, so the mystery may never be solved, but he lives on via Facebook and (of course) a Twitter feed.

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at dbennett at theatlantic dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.
Dashiell Bennett