A rare white alligator is now on exhibit at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, SC. “Riverbanks’ alligator is no different than a normal American alligator with the exception that his skin is white. The white skin, in this case, is a result of being a leucistic alligator, a condition easily confused with being albino.”

Video~

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quicktime http://www.scana.com/scana/images/White%20Alligator.mov


The rare white alligator at the Riverbanks Zoo & Gardens is sure to be a crowd favorite.

As a hatchling, the alligator’s head was only twice as long as a cricket. It’s now more than two feet long and growing.

Why is the alligator white?
The Riverbanks alligator is a leucistic alligator a condition easily confused with being albino. Leucistic alligators actually have white skin as opposed to a lack of pigment and as a result, have normal colored eyes. Riverbanks’ white alligator has brown eyes and a patch of black skin on the top of its head – the natural skin color of the American alligator. It is one of only a few leucistic American alligators in the world and may be the only one in South Carolina.

How rare is a leucistic white alligator?
The only leucistic alligators that are known to exist are a group that was born out of one clutch in Louisiana. Those alligators are now housed at Louisiana’s Audubon Zoo.

The white alligator at Riverbanks was originally one of a group of three white alligators that was found on Hilton Head Island, however, the other two siblings died shortly after arriving at Riverbanks from yolk sac infections.

Female alligators will typically yield a clutch of between 20 and 40 alligators depending on the female’s size. A female and a male would have to both possess the leucistic gene in order to yield a white alligator.

Does the white alligator require any special care?
The white alligator is no different than a normal American alligator. American alligators were heavily endangered in the 1950s and 60s but have since become a conservation success story. Because of protection, the American alligator population has made a remarkable rebound into the millions.