Here we see a captive-raised green frog[Lithobates clamitans; formerly Rana clamitans] displaying partial leucism. Often mistaken for albinism, leucistic frogs are only lacking pigment in certain areas, and still retain pigment in their eyes. This individual was found as a tadpole in a pond in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. Images by Daniel F. Hughes.
Colour anomalies in the Short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis)
As some of you may know I’ve a bit of a weak spot for everything weird with cetaceans: hybrids, deformities, colour anomalies - I love it all. And Short-beaked common dolphins are a gold mine in that last department. I don’t think any other species displays quite so many different anomalies, and with such frequency, as this one. Some, like the melanistic form, are almost ‘normal’ and quite stereotypical in their presentation. Others, like the dolphins in row 4, are highly unique. So earlier this year I made this poster documenting all know anomalies- initially just for fun but I ended up quite liking it! I hope you’ll have fun perusing the oddities of Delphinus delphis too.
Most of these are based on several animals with similar anomalies. However, since the animals in row 4 are all so unique, here’s specific credits to their spotters: 4A was an individual stranded in the UK; 4B, D and E are all photographed by Lisa Steiner of Whale Watch Azores; 4C by Capt. Dave’s Dolphin Safari, 4F by Marilia Olio, and 4G was published in this article here.
this surprisingly white yellow-throated toucan was spotted in costa rica within its native habitat. the bird’s odd appearance is due to leucism, a genetic condition that leads to an absence of pigmentation. birds with plumage in abnormal colors are prone to increased predation and weak feathers due to lack of melanin.
If nature is designed to prevent the survival of genetic mutations that are a danger to a specie’s survival – why do white tigers exist?
Natural selection would not allow the white tiger to survive in the wild. If a white tiger were to be born in the wild, the mother would either kill or abandon the cub as she knows it will not survive with its colouration and does not want to draw attention to her other cubs. So if they do not exist in the wild, why should we breed them in captivity?
White tigers are very popular among zoos, performing shows and exhibitions because they bring profit. The belief that the white tiger is a far rarer and more endangered species than the orange Bengal tiger has made it a significantly more popular cat to be seen.
In actual fact, the white tiger is simply an orange Bengal tiger with a severe genetic mutation. It is a condition called leucism whereby pigmentation is reduced due to a double recessive gene. Both parents must carry this particular gene for a white tiger to be born and is therefore a result of excessive inbreeding. This genetic anomaly is in fact so rare in nature that only 1 in 10,000 tigers are born white in the wild.
The same gene that produces the white colouration, also causes optic nerves to be wired to the wrong side of the brain, therefore making all white tigers to be cross eyed, whether it is noticeable or not. The inbreeding also leaves most white tigers with clubbed feet, cleft palates, spinal deformities, immune deficiencies and mental impairments which cause them to live miserable, short lives, if any life at all.
The truth is that every single white tiger that you see in captivity in the US has been inbred from one single tiger in the 1950s. Back in the early 1950s, a white tiger cub was captured, raised and inbred by a man in India. He bred father to daughter, mother to son, to get more white tiger cubs since this is a recessive gene that both parents must carry. This inbreeding continued for generations and now every single white tiger that you see in captivity can be traced back to that one single white tiger in the 1950s with them all been inbred ever since.
Because white tigers suffer from an enormity of problems, the ones that show visible signs of these conditions are known as the ‘throw away tigers’, they are the ones that you never see because they don’t make it on TV or in performing shows. Usually the orange ones that are born in this process are killed at birth as they are not as big money makers. In order to be a ‘perfect white tiger’, they must show no signs of deformity; they must possess a pure white coat with perfect black stripes and striking blue eyes. This is almost impossible to produce considering the amount of inbreeding involved. With severe inbreeding, 1 in 4 tigers will turn out white, 80% of which will be still-born with the remaining 20% deformed. According to some trainers, only 1 in every 30 of these white tigers will perform continuously, therefore countless tigers are being destroyed just for that one ‘perfect’ show tiger.
The myth of the rare white tiger was created to deceive the public into believing that they are an endangered species being bred for conservation purposes. This is all a fraud, if a white tiger were to be released into the wild, it would most likely starve to death. Instead they are being bred for entertainment purposes because they bring in more profit than orange ones. White tigers also rely more on their owners due to their impairments, causing them to be more popular among entertainers.
Do you support any organisations that breed white tigers? If so, you are simply supporting the exploitation of such animals, to be inbred, deformed and destroyed, not to mention the unnatural training and handling that the ‘perfect’ animals are put through, (but I will get to that in a future blog). They are the only ones that suffer.
I’m fascinated by the leucistic coloring of this fox squirrel. (White areas have reduced pigmentation.) S/he has been visiting the garden for a few weeks.
Rare white sea turtle hatchling found on Kiawah Island SC, Oct 19. The hatchling is believed to have a genetic condition called leucism, which causes animals to have reduced pigmentation.
Sometimes we find birds with very odd plumages, such as this famous Malachite Kingfisher, seen on one of our recent trips to Uganda. This particular case is what we call leucism, which is a result of the absence or even slight reduction in the melanin pigment and is typically caused by an inherited genetic defect.
On November 14, 1851, Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, or The Whale was first published. The story of a mad whaling captain pursuing a monstrous white whale across the oceans of the world, Moby Dick was underwhelmingly received and sold only 3000 or so copies during Melville’s lifetime. But is it possible that Melville was describing an actual whale that he had seen? Moby Dick had a condition known as leucism(sometimes spelled leukism) a condition that affects individual animals resulting from defects in cell pigmentation. Unlike albinism, which is the absence pigmentation, leucisticindividuals can have varying levels of pigmentation and de-pigmentation. The word leucismcomes from the Ancient Greek word λευκος (leukos) meaning white, while the word albinocomes from the Latin word albus, also meaning white.
If you haven’t read Moby Dick, today is a great day to start: Moby Dick.
Image of Migaloo, a leucistic humpback whale by Jenny Dean.
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