Pinto Bean (squirrel)

Last updated

Pinto Bean
Piebald Squirrel Pinto Bean.jpg
Pinto Bean in Champaign, October 2022
Species Eastern gray squirrel
SexMale
DiedOctober 8, 2022
Springfield Avenue, Champaign, Illinois, U.S.
Cause of death Motor vehicle collision
Known forDistinctive piebald pattern, media appearances and tributes
Residence University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Pinto Bean was an eastern gray squirrel on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who was renowned and named for his rare piebald pattern. He died in Champaign on October 8, 2022, presumably due to a motor vehicle collision. [1] Pinto Bean has been called a "minor celebrity" [2] and a "grassroots, unofficial mascot" for the university. [1] During a home football game against Minnesota, a tribute to Pinto Bean was shown on the jumbotron at Memorial Stadium. [3]

Contents

Pattern

A male eastern gray squirrel, [4] [5] Pinto Bean was named for his distinctive mixture of gray fur with patches of unpigmented white fur, which resembled the appearance of pinto beans. [1] According to Illinois Natural History Survey director Eric Shauber, this was the result of a rare genetic mutation that affected where melanin was distributed in the squirrel's body. [6] Shauber said the mutation was rare enough to assume that there was only one such squirrel on campus. [1]

Death and taxidermy

Taxidermy of Pinto Bean on display at the Forbes Natural History Building in Champaign, March 2023 Pinto Bean taxidermy.jpg
Taxidermy of Pinto Bean on display at the Forbes Natural History Building in Champaign, March 2023

Pinto Bean was found dead on the side of Springfield Avenue in Champaign on October 8, 2022. [7] His cause of death was presumably a vehicular collision. [1] [2] News of his death quickly spread on the r/UIUC subreddit and other social media. One user, Champaign resident Clark Jackson, retrieved the squirrel's remains and delivered them to a taxidermist in Bloomington in an effort to preserve the squirrel. [2] [8]

As of March 27, 2023, Pinto Bean's taxidermied remains are on display at the Forbes Natural History Building on the south side of the university's campus. [9]

Tributes

During Illinois's October 15, 2022, home football game against Minnesota, the jumbotron at Memorial Stadium displayed a tribute to Pinto Bean at halftime. [3] The screen displayed an image of Pinto Bean, accompanied by the message: "RIP to Pinto Bean the Squirrel, forever in our hearts." [3]

The Illini Wildlife and Conservation Club held a moment of silence in remembrance of Pinto Bean. [1] Students and community members shared many tributes and eulogies on r/UIUC. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champaign, Illinois</span> City in the United States

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metropolitan area. It is a principal city of the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, which had 236,000 residents in 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois System</span> Public university system in Illinois

The University of Illinois System is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Illinois, consisting of three campuses located in Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana-Champaign. Across all campuses, the University of Illinois System enrolls more than 94,000 students. It had an operating budget of $7.18 billion in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</span> Public university in Illinois, US

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. It is the flagship institution of the University of Illinois system and was established in 1867. With over 59,000 students, the University of Illinois is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area</span> Combined Statistical Area in Illinois, United States

The Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, also known as Champaign–Urbana and Urbana–Champaign as well as Chambana (colloquially), is a metropolitan area in east-central Illinois. As defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the metropolitan area has a population of 235,608 as of the 2023 U.S. Census Bureau estimate, which ranks it as the 201st largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. The area is anchored by the principal cities of Champaign and Urbana, and is home to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piebald</span> Animal with white markings on a darker coat

A piebald or pied animal is one that has a pattern of unpigmented spots (white) on a pigmented background of hair, feathers or scales. Thus a piebald black and white dog is a black dog with white spots. The animal's skin under the white background is not pigmented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memorial Stadium (University of Illinois)</span> Football stadium in Champaign, Illinois

Memorial Stadium is a stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The stadium, used primarily for football, is a memorial to the university's students who died in World War I; their names are engraved on the nearly 200 pillars surrounding the stadium's façade. With a capacity of 60,670, the stadium is primarily used as the home of the university's Fighting Illini football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Illiniwek</span> Former mascot of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Chief Illiniwek was the mascot of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), associated with the university's intercollegiate athletic programs, from October 30, 1926, to February 21, 2007. Chief Illiniwek was portrayed by a student to represent the Illiniwek, the state's namesake, although the regalia worn was from the Sioux. The student portraying Chief Illiniwek performed during halftime of Illinois football and basketball games, as well as during women's volleyball matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Farm Center</span> Arena in Champaign, Illinois, United States

The State Farm Center is a large dome-shaped 15,544-seat indoor arena located in Champaign, Illinois, owned and operated by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The arena hosts games for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, women's basketball, and wrestling teams. It also doubles as a performance and event center, and is one of the largest venues between Chicago and St. Louis. It opened in 1963 and was known until 2013 as Assembly Hall until State Farm Insurance acquired naming rights as part of a major renovation project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois Arboretum</span> Arboretum in Urbana, IL

The University of Illinois Arboretum is a new arboretum, with gardens, currently under construction on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus. It is located at the intersection of Florida and Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Illinois, and open daily without charge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gies College of Business</span> Business school of the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)

Gies College of Business is the business school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public research university in Champaign, Illinois. The college offers undergraduate program, masters programs, and a PhD program. The college and its Department of Accountancy are separately accredited by AACSB International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois College of Media</span> College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

The College of Media is a college at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, United States. The college's name changed from the College of Communications to the College of Media in 2008.

<i>Alma Mater</i> (Illinois sculpture) Sculpture by Lorado Taft

The Alma Mater, a bronze statue by sculptor Lorado Taft, is a beloved symbol of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The 10,000-pound statue depicts a mother-figure wearing academic robes and flanked by two attendant figures representing "Learning" and "Labor", after the university's motto "Learning and Labor." Sited at the corner of Green and Wright Streets at the heart of the campus, the statue is an iconic figure for the university and a popular backdrop for student graduation photos. It is appreciated for its romantic, heraldic overtones and warmth of pose. The statue was removed from its site at the entrance to the university for restoration in 2012 and was returned to its site in the spring of 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Altgeld Hall</span> Educational building in University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Altgeld Hall, located at 1409 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus, was built in 1896–97 and was designed by Nathan Ricker and James M. White of the university's architecture department in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Planning for the building began during the Illinois governorship of John Peter Altgeld. The building was originally the University Library, and received major additions in 1914, 1919, 1926, and 1956. From 1927 to 1955 it was used by the College of Law, and from 1955 on by the Department of Mathematics and the Mathematics Library. The University Chime in the bell tower – which marks the hours, half hours, and quarter hours and plays a ten-minute concert every school day from 12:50–1:00 p.m. – was installed in 1920. The building was officially named "Altgeld Hall" in 1941. Altgeld Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1970.

Elaine Cagas Quijano is an American television reporter. Formerly with CNN, she is now an anchor with CBS News.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Business Instructional Facility</span> Academics in Illinois , United States

The Gies College of Business Instructional Facility (BIF) is a state-of-the-art business facility designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects located on the Champaign campus at the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (UIUC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suburban Express</span> American Midwest bus service

Suburban Express was a bus service that provided transport services to students between Chicago Suburbs and six universities in Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana. Airport shuttles were operated under the name "Illini Shuttle". The company owned no vehicles, instead contracting buses from other carriers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf</span> American college golf team

The Illinois Fighting Illini men's golf team represents the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the sport of golf. The Fighting Illini compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home matches at the Atkins Golf Club, which is located five miles from the university's campus. The Fighting Illini are currently led by head coach Mike Small. The Fighting Illini men's golf program has won 20 Big Ten championships, including the last eight consecutively, and in 2013 finished as national runner-up at the NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships, which was the highest finish in the program's history. The Fighting Illini have qualified for the match play portion of the NCAA Championship 9 times since the stroke play/match play format was introduced in 2009, and reached the Final Four in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campustown (Champaign, Illinois)</span> Neighborhood of Champaign, Illinois, U.S.

Campustown is an area within the 1st and 2nd City Council Districts in Champaign, Illinois. Centered on Green Street, the district contains about eight city blocks occupied by various small businesses, restaurants, bars, and apartment buildings which mostly house university students. Campustown is located along the west side of the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rare Book and Manuscript Library (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)</span>

The Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is located on the 3rd floor of the University Library. The library is one of the largest special collections repositories in the United States. Its collections, consisting of over half a million volumes and three kilometers of manuscript material, encompass the broad areas of literature, history, art, theology, philosophy, technology and the natural sciences, and include large collections of emblem books, writings of and works about John Milton, and authors' personal papers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign</span>

The history of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign dates back to 1862. U of I is a public research-intensive university in the U.S. state of Illinois. A land-grant university, it is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign opened on March 2, 1868, and is the second oldest public university in the state, and is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Simmons, Ethan (October 13, 2022). "Farewell to 'Pinto Bean,' UI's precious piebald squirrel". The News-Gazette . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Zimmerman, Bradley (October 12, 2022). "U of I students mourn death of rare squirrel". WCIA.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Schofield, Mark (October 15, 2022). "Illinois football's best season in years is a tribute to a beloved squirrel named Pinto Bean". SBNation.com . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  4. ↑ Sheppard, Lisa (April 18, 2023). "Celebrated squirrel's legacy lives on for visitors". Prairie Research Institute . Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  5. ↑ Mentrek, Chris. "What type of squirrel looks like this?". Geauga Park District. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  6. ↑ Brennan, Amanda (September 6, 2022). "Meet the piebald squirrel running around the UI campus". WCIA.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  7. ↑ Salas, Lillie (October 17, 2022). "In loving memory of Pinto Bean". The Daily Illini . Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  8. ↑ Buckley, Alyssa (October 14, 2022). "Rare campus squirrel will be preserved through taxidermy". Smile Politely — Champaign-Urbana's Culture Magazine. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  9. ↑ Zimmerman, Bradley (March 27, 2023). "Famous squirrel memorialized on U of I campus". WCIA.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.