Bizare Albino Animals
Albinism is due to various gene mutations that affect the production of normal pigmentation. True (amelanistic) albinos lack melanin and are white with no markings and with unpigmented pink eyes. Partial (blue-eyed) albinos have some residual pigmentation. There are various degrees of patchy albinism (piebaldism) due to localised mutations in skin cells. Temperature dependent albinos have residual colour on cooler parts of the body i.e. Siamese cats where pigment develops on the head, tail and legs, but not on the warmer parts of the body.
Bluish-grey anerythristic albinos lack the red colour. Axanthic albinos lack the yellow colour. The actual colour and pattern of these animal depends on what other colours are in the pattern. Tyrosinase-negative albinos lack tyrosinase (an enzyme which synthesises melanin) in their cells; this usually produces a pale yellowish or cream animal with pink-eyes. The more common Tyrosinase Positive albino cannot synthesise melanin, but can synthesise tyrosinase, giving a fawn or lavender (platinum) colour.
Leucism is often mistaken for albinism. Leucistic animals, such as white lions, are white or very pale, with dark eyes and some pigmentation, for example ghost markings. Chinchilla is sometimes mistaken for albinism, but is caused by a different mutation that affects the distribution of pigment on the hair shaft. White tigers are chinchilla. Other mutations also cause white animals; some of the animals pictured here (white peacocks) are white, but not albino.
Comments (3)
do your research! some of those aren’t albino animals. The kitten is just white. the tiger is just a white tiger. true albinos have white hair, milky skin and usually have pink eyes.
no, white tigers and most white animals are a result of heavy inbreeding forced by humans. for ex. they typically take a a pair of sibling tigers, and then they force breed their inbred offspring with the mother tiger.. so double inbreeding. this often causes serious internal genetic mutations which the animal suffers for the rest of his life
Um, Kathleen, if you’d bothered to read the intro at the top of the article, it does say that true albinos have white hair and pink eyes. It also says that some of the pictures are just of white animals and not albinos. Maybe, instead of telling people to do their research, which they clearly have, you should just take the time to read something, which you clearly haven’t.