A park in florida said Thursday that it now has an exceedingly rare leucistic white alligator, one of only eight in the world. It is also the first alligator of its species to be born in human care, making Gatorland the owner of the world’s greatest collection of rare leucistic alligators. “Oh boy, we have some exciting news here at Gatorland,” said Mark McHugh, President and CEO of Gatorland. “For the first time since a nest of leucistic alligators was discovered in the swamps of Louisiana 36 years ago, we have the first birth of a solid white alligator ever recorded from those original alligators. This is beyond ‘rare,’ it is absolutely extraordinary!”
According to Gatorland, the new baby girl and her normal-coloured sibling were born to parents Jeyan and Ashley. They weigh 96 grams and have a length of slightly around 100 centimetres. The Gatorland vet gave them both an A+ at their recent health check-up since they continue to eat bite-size pieces of raw chicken and other nutritious supplements. According to Gatorland, leucistic alligators are the most unusual genetic variety of the American alligator. They should not be confused with albino alligators, which have pink eyes and have lost all pigmentation. Instead, leucistic gators have blue eyes.
Gatorland said they plan to display the two new baby alligators early in 2024 for guests to see
“Leucism in alligators causes white colouration, but they often have patches or splotches of normal colouration on their skin,” according to Gatorland. “Without the darker skin pigmentation, they can’t have direct sunlight for long periods of time because they sunburn easily,” Gatorland said they plan to display the two new baby gators early in 2024 for guests to see. For now, though, they’ll be kept safe under vet care so their health and growth can be closely monitored.
But the fun doesn’t stop there. Gatorland needs your assistance naming its baby white leucistic alligator and her brother, and you can help by commenting on its Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram profiles. It’s the same approach Gatorland used for one of its most recent acquisitions, a jawless gator that found a new home at the park after going viral for missing part of its mouth. Jawlene was named by Gatorland fans on social media after Dolly Parton’s popular song “Jolene.”
