A Pennsylvania couple probably thought they were going a little nuts when one week ago they saw a purple squirrel in their backyard.

Percy and Connie Emert, of Jersey Shore, caught the unusual animal Feb. 5, when trying to keep backyard birds safe from the furry rodents, according to AccuWeather.com.

"We have bird feeders out in our yard, and the squirrels are constantly into them," Connie Emert said. "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, according to AccuWeather.com.

"I kept telling my husband I saw a purple one out in the yard.'Oh sure you did' he kept telling me," Connie Emert said. "Well, he checked the trap around noon on Sunday and sure enough, there it was."

The Emerts 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 put their colorful guest in an extra large crate to give him plenty of room. Several neighbors stopped by to see the little guy, the couple said.

According to the AccuWeather report, the Emerts released the squirrel back into the wild on Tuesday.

Possible Explanations for the Purple Fur?

Some AccuWeather.com meteorologists have their own theories on how a squirrel would come to have purple fur.

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," Kottlowski said. "He could have gotten into some purple ink, or purple paint at some point."

Krish Pillai, a professor at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, commented: "This is not good at all. That color looks very much like Tyrian purple. It is a natural organobromide compound seen in molluscs and rarely found in land animals. The squirrel (possibly) has too much bromide in its system."

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