Albino Wallaby
December 16, 2010
The kangaroo and wallaby exhibit at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida is home to a rare albino wallaby. Albino means lacking normal pigmentation so the coat appears white while the skin appears pinkish even though it is white. What gives the pinkish tone is the blood below the skin. This is the same reason why the eyes appear red. Albinism is a rare, autosomal recessive trait. In the wild, albino animals seldom survive because the lack the necessary colouration to avoid predation. As a result of their reduced fecundity, albinos seldom live long enough to produce offspring however the gene that causes albinism remains in the general population as a recessive only to be expressed on the very rare occasion. Thanks to Busch Gardens this little guy should have a relatively normal lifespan!
Garden Gnome
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