Mangy Squirrel - Not a Pretty Sight!

We noticed this squirrel up on the potting bench this morning.  A rather unusal place for a squirrel. It did not take us long to realize this squirrel was unusual in other ways.  Notice areas that lack any hair.  A quick google search leads one to ponder if the hair loss is due to mange or a fungus.   But I think it is mange as the squirrel seemed to be uncomfortably scratching.  Mange and fungus often occur when squirrel populations rise, so we may be seeing more hairless squirrels.  There is not a lot to do about this and some references even go so far as to suggest that this is nature's way of thinning the squirrel population.  Only the strong survive!