Albinism is an inherited genetic disorder that results in little or no production of melanin, a natural pigment responsible for skin, eye, and hair color. Although rare, this condition can affect anyone: it can manifest in people, animals and even plants. Wild Florida Airboats & Gator Park in Kenansville, Florida, recently introduced two baby albino alligators and the babies are simply cute beyond words.
The animal park shared a photo of the two baby albino alligators on Facebook and people are quite surprised by their unique appearance. Although these crocodile reptiles vary in skin color, dark-skinned alligators typically have a blackish-gray color, while light-skinned alligators have olive green or light brown colors. As we said above, albinism can also occur in animals, and reptiles are no exception. White-skinned alligators are extremely rare, and biologists estimate that there are only about 100 in the world.
An alligator born with albinism has ivory-colored skin and eyes that are slightly tinted pink instead of the usual black and green. This genetic condition is the result of a recessive gene that is passed from parents to children. But for this gene to manifest itself in the offspring, both parents must carry it. Wild Florida aims to breed more of this rarity of nature and luckily they have a pair of albino alligators named Blizzard (male) and Snowflake (female) who can help them with that.
In August of last year, the full-fledged albino alligator pair produced five babies. But only one of her babies had inherited the albino gene. Exactly one year later, the animal park excitedly announced that the pair of albino alligators have produced 18 eggs, two of which have already hatched and resemble their white-skinned parents. Wild Florida assured everyone that the cute hatchlings are in good health, but will require intensive care and attention before they can be shown to the public. In the meantime, all we have is the photo showing the adorable baby albino alligators.
Since albino alligators cannot produce melanin, they lack the camouflage protection that helps them survive in the wild. Additionally, white-skinned reptiles are prone to severe sunburn because they do not have the skin’s natural protection against harmful UV rays. Considering all of these things, alligators with albinism will not last long in the wild. Those born in captivity are kept in special enclosures that emulate their natural habitat while protecting them from direct sun. Therefore, albino alligators that live in parks and zoos tend to live longer than those that live in the wild.
The absence of camouflage and skin protection makes them unsuitable for living in the wild. The good news from Wild Florida should give us more opportunities to see these rare creatures. Furthermore, the two chicks were the first to hatch from the group of 18 eggs. So, we still have 16 eggs to wait for.
