albino
zooillogix | March 10, 2008This picture of a rare white orca was taken off the coast of Alaska's Aleutian Islands last month by researchers on a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration research ship. Looks like he could use a bleaching. The whale had been spotted years ago but has eluded researchers since.
According to the Jaws-inspired masterpiece Orca (1977) - "The killer whale is one of the most intelligent creatures in the universe. Incredibly, he is the only animal other than man who kills for revenge. He has one mate, and if she is harmed by man, he will hunt down that person with a relentless, terrible…
grrlscientist | February 29, 2008tags: animals, leucistic moose, Alces alces, zoology, Image of the Day
Leucistic Moose, Alces alces.
Image: orphaned [larger size].
grrlscientist | January 8, 2008tags: Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae , ornithology, birds, avian, leucism
A unique leucistic Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae,
photographed by the Mawson Hut Foundation team in Antarctica.
Image: Brett Jarrett (Mawsons Hut Foundation) [larger]
An individual Adélie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, that lacks most of its normal pigment was recently photographed by Australian biologists near Granholm Hut in Antarctica. Penguins and other birds that lack pigmentation are referred to as "leucistic" by ornithologists. According to the Australian biologists, these abnormal white birds…
zooillogix | December 18, 2007Olney, Illinois is famous for white squirrels. In 1943 there were 1000 of the little guys but by the '90s the population remained constant around 200. The town has implemented a rather strict set of laws to protect them. Dogs are not allowed to roam free anywhere in Olney and in 1997 cats were prohibited from roaming free as well. Running over an Olnean white squirrel, which has right of way on all streets, will get you a $200 fine.
Olney's white squirrel community is a true albino population, which has managed to support itself for over sixty years. According to the White Squirrel Institute…
zooillogix | September 22, 2007This extremely rare and beautiful "pink dolphin" was spotted and photographed by Capt. Erik Rue of Calcasieu Charter Service on June 24th, 2007 during a charter fishing trip on Calcasieu Lake south of Lake Charles, LA.
An albino dolphin, with reddish eyes and glossy pink skin, the critter was smaller than its companions suggesting that it was immature. These pictures are apparently of the albino traveling with its mother.
Apparently these photos were circulating back in June but they just made their way to us, so we decided to share.
zooillogix | May 9, 2007This albino African pygmy hedgehog was born in Cumbria, England. Albinism, more technically known as hypomelanism, is a congenital disorder that results in a lack of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair. In mammals, this typically results in white hair or fur and eyes that appear pink due to the retinal blood vessels showing through where there is not enough pigment to cover them. Albinistic organisms are typically just as healthy on average as those with regular pigment, although the lack of natural camouflage often makes them much more likely to be spotted by predators. In small…