{"id":2286,"date":"2013-07-24T10:44:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T10:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.blog.sdps-bbs.com\/?p=2286"},"modified":"2026-01-24T15:55:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-24T19:55:09","slug":"albinism-in-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/fnr\/extension\/albinism-in-wildlife\/","title":{"rendered":"Albinism In Wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wildlife identification guides are useful tools that help you figure out what kind of animal you may be looking at. However, they don\u2019t always tell the complete story. Some animals such as garter snakes can have varied appearances which makes identification difficult. Some mammals have varied pelage such as striped skunks with some being almost completely black, white or some combination in between. A very small percentage of animals within a species may look dramatically different due to differences in pigment.<\/p>\n

\"Herd<\/a>Albinos lack the ability to produce color pigment in their\u00a0skin, hair, feathers, scales or eyes. Animals with this condition have a white appearance with red or pink eyes. The latter is the result of tiny blood vessels that are now visible. They are typically hidden by the colored iris which is transparent in albinos.<\/p>\n

In wildlife, albinism is a rare occurrence at birth caused by a recessive gene. The rate in wildlife is estimated from 1 in 20,000 to 1 in 1\u00a0million. Their solid white coat of fur makes them more susceptible to predation, or conversely, would make it difficult for an albino predator to stalk its prey. Albinos also have poor vision or may even be blind. The combination of these factors results in low survival of albinos, further decreasing their proportion in the population.<\/p>\n

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Partial albinism occurs in some animals and is much more common than true albinism. In white-tailed deer, this is sometimes referred to as \u2018piebald\u2019 where their fur has a blotchy, white appearance, but they lack the pink eyes found in albinos. Piebald deer occur at a frequency of less than 1 percent in hunted populations. A greater incidence of physical deformities have been reported for piebald deer.
\n*View in photo the piebald deer on the far left side. <\/em><\/p>\n

Resources:
\n<\/strong>Ask an Expert: Wildlife Food Plots<\/a>, video, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nHandling Harvested Game: Episode 1,\u00a0Field Dressing<\/a>, video, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nDeer Harvest Data Collection<\/a>, Got Nature? Blog, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR
\nHow to Score Your White-tailed Deer<\/a>, video, The Education Store, Purdue Extension Resource Center
\nAge Determination in White-tailed Deer<\/a>, video, The Education Store
\nHandling Harvested Deer Ask an Expert?<\/a> video, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nWoodland Stewardship for Landowners: Managing Deer Damage to Young Trees<\/a>, video, Purdue Extension \u2013 FNR YouTube Channel
\nManaging Your Woods for White-Tailed Deer<\/a>, The Education Store
\nDeer Impact Toolbox<\/a>, Pond and Wildlife Management, Purdue Extension
\nSnakes and Lizards of Indiana<\/a>, The Education Store
\nSubscribe Purdue Extension \u2013 Forestry and Natural Resources YouTube Channel<\/a>, Playlists include wildlife, Nature of Teaching, Moments in the Wild and much more.<\/p>\n

Brian MacGowan<\/a>, Extension Wildlife Specialist\u200b
\nDepartment of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wildlife identification guides are useful tools that help you figure out what kind of animal you may be looking at. However, they don\u2019t always tell the complete story. Some animals such as garter snakes can have varied appearances which makes identification difficult. Some mammals have varied pelage such as striped skunks with some being almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44,54],"tags":[62,72],"class_list":["post-2286","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gotnatureforkids","category-wildlife","tag-got-nature-for-kids","tag-wildlife","audience-for-enthusiasts","audience-for-homeowners","audience-for-landowners","audience-for-professionals"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t