Recognizing Leucism In Our Furry & Feathered Friends
Not all abnormally pale animals are albino — but how can you tell when you come across one?
We all get excited about animals with abnormal colorations. The all-yellow cardinal spotted in Alabama created headlines and attracted hopeful birdwatchers, and after many admired an unusual all-white buffalo calf, controversy ensued when it was tragically killed. But many of us don’t know the causes or names of these conditions. Oftentimes, abnormally-colored animals are simply grouped under ‘albino’ by casual observers. Much of the time, this is incorrect. Truly albino animals have a complete loss of melanin, the pigment that gives fur, skin, and other parts of the body its color. It leads to lack of pigment in the eyes, oftentimes presenting as red or pink eyes. However, more common in the wild is leucism — a partial, but not complete, loss of pigmentation.
Leucism accompanies many different appearances. Like albinism, leucism can present as a fully white animal (however, with black eyes). But it can also present as a paler-colored, but not white, animal, or a ‘pied’ animal (normally colored with white or pale splotches throughout the body).
We commonly see leucism in captive animals. Not all white animals are leucistic, however. For example, your…
