Gartorland Orlando, a popular wildlife park in Florida, welcomed an exceptionally rare white alligator. The female leucistic alligator is one of the only eight in the entire world, according to the New York Post.
The news was announced by the Orlando zoo on Thursday which touted it as “beyond rare” and “absolutely extraordinary.” Oh boy, we have some exciting news here at Gatorland,” said Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland. “For the first time since a nest of leucistic alligators was discovered in the swamps of Louisiana 36 years ago, we have the first birth of a solid white alligator ever recorded from those original alligators.”
According to a statement by Gatorland, Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator species.
Leucisim, or the white colour of the alligator is because of a partial loss of pigmentation. They often have patches of normal coloration on their skin and brilliant blue eyes. However, they are not to be confused with albino alligators, which have a complete loss of pigmentation and pink eyes.
According to McHugh, the new alligator and her normal-coloured brother hatched to Jeyan and Ashley and weigh 96 grams and are currently 49 centimeteres long. They were born in August but their birth was kept a secret for nearly five months to ensure their good health.
“We plan to have them on display early next year so guests can see them, learn about them, and fall in love with them like we have. For now, however, we continue to keep them safe where we can closely monitor their health and growth,” McHugh added.
As per a report in the New York Post, a Gatorland veterinarian gave them “A+” on their health. Their diet consists of bite-size pieces of raw chicken and Croc Chow pellets.
The park officials are also appealing to the public to help with finding names for the two siblings.
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