Claude is an albino alligator at the California Academy of Sciences. Claude lacks the pigment melanin, which results in his skin color. Claude was hatched on 15 September 1995 in Florida weighing 2 ounces (57 g). He weighs 222 pounds (101 kg) and is 9 feet 5 inches (2.87 m) long. He has 76 teeth. A returning favorite from the original Steinhart Aquarium, the Swamp is best known as the home of Claude, the startlingly white Alligator mississippiensis that's become one of the Academy's most-famous residents.
However, that isn't to say that there aren't albino alligators born in the wild. As of right now, the oldest albino alligator on record is Claude, a 22-year-old alligator at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.
White alligators are not a separate species but are considered extremely rare. There have only been a few documented occurrences of leucistic alligators.
But
at the California Academy of Sciences, Claude the albino alligator is a
star. He gets three private training sessions a week, followed by 15
fish pellets. The food is tossed inches from his jaw, so he doesn't have
to search. His favorite rock is heated to varying temperatures, from 78
degrees to 95 degrees.
Albino alligators are normally found in
freshwater rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes in southeastern parts of
the United States. Albino alligators are extremely rare. Biologists
estimate there are only about 100 existing in the world. They are the
offspring of parents that carry the recessive gene for albinism, meaning
they do not have the ability to create melanin to color their skin or
eyes.
Albino alligators lack the pigment melanin. They are the
offspring of two normal-looking alligators that carry the recessive gene
for albinism. Albino alligators have ivory-white skin and pinkish eyes.
The leucistic alligator usually has blue eyes and patches of normally
colored skin on its body.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Stay updated with our blog for more quality content! Your feedback is appreciated. Contact us at harshrex@outlook.com with any suggestions.