ALBINO ANIMALS

Albinos are found in all animal species; albinoism is due to a pair of recessive characteristics or 'genes' that acting together create a situation where the body is not able to from the necessary materials in the skin, hair and ever in the iris in the eyes to form the necessary colour pigmentation. This results causes the hair and skin to be white and the eyes to seem to be red as the blood vessels at the back of the eye can be seen. due to the colourless, clear iris allowing light through to the back of the eye. As the albino gene is rare in animals; the possibility of inheriting two of these genes ( one from each parent ) to cause the characteristic to be expressed is very rare. The albino gene is rare in any wild animal population due to the fact that 'camouflage colours' are lost and the young white animal will probably be killed (eaten) before it has time to mate and pass or his or her albino genes.