The coloration of the skin and fur is one of the characteristics that distinguish the different species. However, there are some specimens of wildlife whose appearance does not correspond to the members of their species: they are albino animals.
The absence of pigmentation is a phenomenon that affects varieties of flora and fauna, including humans. What causes this curious appearance? Does this affect the lives of people with white skin and hair? We will answer these and other questions in this Animal Expert article on animal albinism, with information, examples and photos. Read!
- He certainly knows that albinism implies that the affected individual has very white skin and hair.
- You may have seen photos of people like that.
- Or even a known photo.
- However.
- This phenomenon is not unique to humans and also occurs in wildlife.
To talk about albinism in animals, what it is and why it happens, it must be said that it is an inherited genetic disease. This is the absence of melanin in the hair, skin and iris, but what is melanin? Melanin is composed of tyrosine, an amino acid that melanocytes transform into the pigment needed to color animals. In addition, the presence of melanin protects people from the dangerous effects of the sun.
Hypopigmentation or albinism is the body’s inability to produce melanin, so people with this problem look very particular. Albinism is hereditary, but also recessive, so it is necessary for both parents to have the gene for the offspring to be born with this disorder.
Albinism occurs at different levels in the animal kingdom, meaning that, on the outside, not all affected individuals seem extremely pale or white. These are the types of albinism in animals:
With regard to albino animals, we also want to talk about how this disorder affects individuals. Lack of pigmentation has the following consequences:
The consequences for albino animals go beyond physical appearance or decreased acuity in some ways. In the wild, an albino animal does not have the camouflage needed to hide from its predators; therefore, light colors make it more visible and more likely to attack. For this reason, the life expectancy of albino animals in freedom is reduced.
This disorder affects all animal species, although it is more common to see complete albinism in domestic animals, such as rats, cats, dogs and rabbits. However, it can also be seen in the wild in species such as gorillas, snakes, turtles, zebras, amphibians, giraffes, crocodiles and many others.
Melanism, in turn, is an excessive pigmentation and can also be seen in some animals. You can better understand this condition in the article about animals with melanism.
Among these albino animals, we also include mention of species with hypopigmentation that are famous. Some of them died, but gained popularity during their lifetime. Here are some of the most famous albino animals in the world:
Many species of animals are now endangered. This affects both normal people and people with albinism. There is no record of endangered albino animals, as birth requires genetic conditions so specific that it is difficult to talk about a population density composed of individuals with this characteristic.
Despite this, some species, such as the albino lion or the white lion, are often preferred by hunters because of their rarity. However, it is impossible to say that it is more threatened than other lion varieties.
Speaking of which, we took the opportunity to release this video about the wild animals of Africa:
If you would like to read articles similar to Albino Animals – Information, Examples and Photos, we recommend that you visit our Curiosities of the Animal World section.