From Bernadette Chiaramonte

Yesterday, I found a rare Melanistic Black Chipmunk! My neighbors have seen him, but this is my first sighting!

Black chipmunks are extremely rare, with melanistic individuals appearing only occasionally in the wild.

A melanistic chipmunk is simply an Eastern chipmunk with a genetic anomaly that results in excessive melanin, giving it a solid black coat instead of the usual dark-and-white stripes - in Wellsboro, PA.