An exceptionally rare white alligator was born this summer at a Florida theme park, and the zoo now needs the public’s help in naming the little alligator.
Gatorland in Orlando says the list so far includes Ice, Noelle, Snow, Pearl, Ivory and Marshmallow.
The female baby suffers from a condition called leucism which causes her white coloring and is different from albinism because it does not affect the eyes.
He was born to a colored mother and a leucistic father from a Louisiana swamp.
Parents Jeyan and Ashley are healthy, workers say, adding that the baby was born alongside a sibling alligator of normal color and the same size.
Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation of the American alligator, Gatorland said in a news release Thursday.
“Leucism in alligators causes white coloring, but they often have spots or patches of normal coloring on their skin,” the park said.
“Without the darker pigmentation of the skin, they cannot have direct sunlight for long periods of time because they burn easily.”
They normally have translucent skin and blue eyes, unlike albino alligators which have red or pink eyes.
Visitors will be able to see the leucistic alligator and its normal-colored sibling early next year, the park said.
- Leucism inhibits the pigmentation of certain skin cells
- This is different from albinism where no melanin is produced
- Animals with leucism may have darker pigment in their soft tissues
- Giraffes with leucism retain their dark eyes, while animals with albinism have pink eyes
- Birds, lions, fish, peacocks, penguins, eagles, hippos, elk and snakes all exhibit traits of leucism.
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