All About Albinism There’s a “white-out” here at Wildlife Works!  No, we don’t mean snow, just an abundance of white fur, feathers and scales.  In a decade of rehabilitating wildlife, the most we’ve  seen has been a few songbirds with partially white plumage.  But in the space of the past year, we’ve admitted not one, but four albino wildlings — two (gray) squirrels, one (blue) jay and one (red-eared slider) turtle. Seeing one albino creature in the wild is a rare find indeed.  Why?  Imagine you are a hungry hawk circling high above the grassy fields; you could easily pick out bright white creatures far below.  “Arctic” the gray squirrel was found after a tree was cut down, along with a female sibling, also albino.  The property owners had never seen a white squirrel in the vicinity.  The female did not survive infancy, and we were frankly surprised and elated that her brother did.  Many albino animals do not make it to adulthood because of other associated genetic problems. Albinism is very rare in nature and can occur in many different species, including humans.  Albinos are born without a normal amount of pigment in their skin, feathers, fur or scales.  The result of this lack of pigmentation is a lack of most or all natural color.  Albinos are also characterized by their pink eyes.  This strange phenomenon results from blood vessels that normally have color but are now unshielded by other pigment.  Some animals are considered “partial albinos” because only parts of their fur or feathers are white and the rest of the animal is colored naturally.

Albinism occurs very unpredictably in nature and is very difficult to research accurately.  Even though albinism has been recorded in over 300 different species of North American birds, fish, reptiles and other wildlife, it still occurs in inestimably small numbers.  It has been estimated that approximately 1 in 10,000 births is a true albino.  Biologists have determined that it results mainly from genetics.  Apparently, the gene that forms in the production of pigments fails to work properly.  Albinism is generally seen only when both parents carry the mutated genes. The hatchling red-eared slider was dropped off at our vet’s office after being spotted on a stream bed.  The turtle was a soft peach color all over.  When we noticed the pink eyes, we realized we had another albino on our hands.  An expert  helped us identify the species of water turtle it was, but, sadly, the little hatchling developed a systemic infection and died. As expected, albino animals deal with many of the same problems as albino humans.  Albinos have poor eyesight and are extremely sensitive to sunlight.  Albino animals are very visible to predators and subsequently become easy targets.  Unfortunately, albino animals in many social species experience the same ostracism as humans.  Many albino mammals and birds are outcasts and have great difficulty finding a mate.  Researchers have observed shunned albinos among species such as ravens, barn swallows and red-winged blackbirds.  Because of this, the albino birds were much less likely to reproduce and pass on their genes.  Sadly, this is also true among human albinos, nearly all of whom remain childless throughout life. continued...