World's Rarest Alligator Born in Florida; What Are Leucistic Gators?

For the first time since a leucistic alligator nest was discovered 36 years ago in Louisiana swamps, a solid white alligator has been born.

Rarest Alligator Born in Florida

The buzzworthy birth was publicly announced by Gatorland, an alligator amusement park near Orlando. The birth of the rarest alligator in the world is not their most amazing new attraction.

The hatchling is observed to be solid white with crystal blue piercing eyes. The young female gator was born with her brother, who had a normal color. The white hatchling was 49 centimeters in length and 96 grams in weight.

Park officials note that both gators are healthy. They now live in the "White Gator Swamp" of Gatorland, which is a shady spot that keeps leucistic creatures away from the harshly penetrating sun rays.

Gatorland is asking for the public's help with naming the two newborn alligators. Several suggestions have already been made through social media. These include Rickie and Leucie, Rice and Gumbo, and Salt and Pepper.

What Are Leucistic Alligators?

Despite its unique white features, the extraordinary hatchling is not an albino alligator. It was a rarer alligator breed known as a leucistic alligator.

Leucism results from defects in specific cells that produce pigments, while albinism is marked by insufficient melanin pigment.

Because of this, leucistic alligators are not pale yellow-colored. They also do not have pink eyes. Rather, they are more similar to reptilian White Walkers, which have a rare patch of usual-colored scales every here and there.

While leucistic alligators do not have any special differences with regular alligators when it comes to temperament and eating habits, they may burn due to direct sunlight exposure, similar to the case of albinos. Their light tone also means that they are unable to blend with their environment. Because of this, they become easy to prey on.

Nevertheless, a leucistic alligator is essentially not different from other gators. Mark McHugh, who serves as the CEO and President of Gatorland, explains that the young female is a normal alligator except for the striking dark eyes and white hue. Her eyes are bound to turn bright blue as she ages.

At present, only seven known leucistic alligators live in the world. Among these seven, three are kept in Gatorland.

World's Largest Breeding Facility of White Alligators

Mchugh explains how the largest breeding facility of white alligators came to be. Back in 2008, New Orleans' Audubon Zoo provided Gatorland with some alligators that carried leucistic genes.

One adopted gator, the male Jeyan, apparently has scales that have a white-chocolate appearance. The gator carries recessive and dominant leucistic genes.

Another one, Ashley, appears normal. However, she was thought to secretly carry a recessive leucistic gene as well. These hidden genes were confirmed by breeders last August. Two eggs that Ashley laid and Jeyan fertilized started hutching. To the excitement of the workers of the park, a tiny white snout pierced one shell. This was the notable birth of the young female leucistic alligator.

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