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Albino Animals - Or Are They?

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The Rare Sight Of An Albino Deer

Awesome, rare Albino White tailed Deer . Shedding Their Velvet© Karel Bock/Shutterstock.Com

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Behold, a pale horse. Well, not quite, but it's close enough. Seeing an all-white deer is almost as rare as seeing a unicorn. Witnessing them in their full form is so rare that sightings take on an almost mythical, mystic element. If you sit around enough campfires, you'll probably hear stories about the legendary white deer and the omen of witnessing one. Even with the proliferation of game cameras, spotting one of these deer remains difficult.

Albino genes are rare in any animal. When it comes to deer, however, prey animals by nature, albino genes put them at a disadvantage. Gleaming white fur surely doesn't help deer avoid the merciless eye of predators in the forest. But how rare are sightings of these all-white deer, and what causes this unique genetic mutation? Watch the video above, and we will explore the topic further.

Albinism

©Giedriius/Shutterstock.Com

Albinism is a recessive gene trait in animals that causes a lack of pigment in hair, tissue, skin, and more. Having white fur or skin is one thing, but true albinism affects all tissue. That's why albino animals have pink appendages and red/pink eyes.

For an animal to be born with albinism, both parents must carry the recessive albino gene. Even when both parents carry it, however, there's only a 25% chance they will produce an albino fawn. This makes them a serious rarity. Your chance of seeing an albino deer is around 1 in 30,000. That said, the farther north you are in North America, the more likely you'll spot one of these ethereal creatures.

While they may look beautiful to us, being an albino deer presents serious disadvantages in the wild. Besides sticking out like a sore thumb, albino animals often suffer from diminished vision, deformed hooves, arched spines, and recessed jaws. For that reason, states like Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa protect albino deer from harvest or hunting.

Piebald vs. Albino Deer

©Dino Martino Photography/Shutterstock.Com

You may think you spotted an albino deer deep in the forest, but there's a good chance you saw a piebald deer. Piebald deer also have a genetic mutation affecting coloration but to a lesser degree than true albinos. The Piebald recessive gene causes deer to be mostly white with patches of normal fur color. Unlike albinos, Piebald deer have normal eye color.

That said, the genes responsible for causing Piebald coloration also affect other physical characteristics. They too are born with physical deformities like crooked spines, scrunched noses, and distorted hooves. For these reasons, most Piebalds don't live to maturity.

In places where albinos and Piebalds are protected, however, they have a better chance of living long lives. Experts estimate that less than 2% of the whitetail deer population suffers from Piebald. Either way, seeing an Albino or Piebald deer will give you a campfire story for years to come.

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The post The Rare Sight of an Albino Deer appeared first on A-Z Animals.

Casper The Rare White Dolphin — One Of Only Three In The World— Appears In California

Casper the friendly dolphin has made yet another appearance in Monterey Bay!

The rare white marine mammal is a Risso's dolphin. The species is known for its circular face and is commonly found just south of California's Bay area. First spotted in 2014, marine biologists believe Casper is either albino or leucistic — both cause a loss in pigment in the skin and hair — but no one knows for sure.

Albino animals can be distinguished from leucistic because the former has red eyes, whereas the latter does not. Until someone can glimpse Casper's eyes — a nearly impossible feat — his exact genetic mutation remains a mystery.

There are only three known all-white Risso's dolphins in the world, and Casper is one of them. The Monterey Bay Whale Watch crew have spotted Casper before, first in 2014, and recently caught sight of the famous dolphin swimming among a pod of over 1,000 dolphins on April 25.

"Any day spent in the company of this special individual is a good day in our book," The Monterey Bay Whale Watch wrote in an April 26 Facebook post featuring images of the eye-catching white fins peaking out above the water.

Casper's fans flooded the post's comments section, with one person writing, "I so hope to see Casper one day!!!!! 🤍🤍🤍"

Another comment read: "Very excited to see Casper 😀."

Video footage from Monterey Bay Whale Watch's most recent run-in with Casper shows the animal swimming smoothly alongside several other dolphins, occasionally breaking the water to glow in the sunshine.

Casper is famous around the world, but he is genuinely a local celebrity.

"Our company was the first to spot Casper in August of 2014 as a calf, so he is likely around nine years old now," A spokesperson for Monterey Bay Whale Watch told Newsweek in April. "We were also the ones to determine his sex as male! We see him periodically throughout the year, and he has only been observed here in Monterey Bay!"

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