Sky News | 8 December 2023, UK | leucistic alligator | Shield Insurance Agency Blog

The alligator said to be the rarest variation of the American alligator, is descended from a nest of them found in the swamps of Louisiana in 1987.

Leucistic Alligator is Beyond Rare

A white leucistic alligator described as “beyond rare” has been born at a reptile park in Florida.

The female alligator, which is 49cm in length, is one of the very few leucistic alligators in the world, according to Gatorland Orlando.

“This is beyond rare. It is extraordinary,” said Mark McHugh, head of Gatorland.

He added the newborn is the first solid white alligator ever to have descended from a nest of original leucistic alligators found in the Louisiana swamps in 1987.

Of the seven remaining in that nest, three are based in Gatorland.

The leucistic Alligator differs from the Albino Alligators

The reptile is the rarest genetic variation of the American alligator, and differs from albino alligators, which have pink eyes and a complete loss of pigment, the park said.

The as-yet-nameless reptile has blue eyes.

The park is asking for help in naming its new arrival, and visitors will be able to see her, and her brother, from next year.

“For now, however, we continue to keep them safe where we can closely monitor their health and growth,” Mr McHugh said.

Learn more about Albino Alligators

Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and reddish pink or blue eyes.^[1]^[2] Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos.

Varied use and interpretation of the terms mean that written reports of albinistic animals can be difficult to verify. Albinism can reduce the survivability of an animal; for example, it has been suggested that albino alligators have an average survival span of only 24 hours due to the lack of protection from UV radiation and their lack of camouflage to avoid predators.^[3] It is a common misconception that all albino animals have characteristic pink or red eyes (resulting from the lack of pigment in the iris allowing the blood vessels of the retina to be visible), however, this is not the case for some forms of albinism.[4] Familiar albino animals include in-bred strains of laboratory animals (rats, mice, and rabbits), but populations of naturally occurring albino animals exist in the wild, e.g. Mexican cave tetra. Albinism is a well-recognized phenomenon in mollusks, both in the shell and in the soft parts. It has been claimed by some, e.g.^[5] that albinism can occur for a number of reasons aside from inheritance, including genetic mutations, diet, living conditions, age, disease, or injury. However, this is contrary to definitions where the condition is inherited.

Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) is a clearly defined set of seven types of genetic mutations that reduce or completely prevent the synthesis of eumelanin or pheomelanin, resulting in reduced pigmentation.[6] Type I oculocutaneous albinism (OCA1a) is the form most commonly recognized as ‘albino’ as this results in a complete absence of melanin in the skin, hair/fur/feathers, and pink pupils, however, this has led many to assume that all albinos are pure white with pink pupils, which is not the case.^[7][8][6]