4/8/2023 0 Comments Albino gorillaHe became famous, though, with the name given to him by Sabater when National Geographic featured him on the cover in March 1967, with the English name Snowflake. Upon his arrival to Barcelona in November 1966, he was given an official reception by the then- mayor of Barcelona, Josep Maria de Porcioles, and called Blancanieves (" Snow White") in the newspaper Tele/Exprés. Snowflake received the recessive gene from both parents, causing his albinism. The same study revealed that his albinism was caused by a mutation of the SLC45A2 gene. Study of Snowflake's genome determined that his parents had 12% of their DNA in common, leading researchers to believe that his parents were uncle and niece. In diffuse light similar to that in its biotope, we calculated that it blinked on an average of 20 times a minute." The animal displayed marked photophobia, which caused it to close its eyes repeatedly when exposed to bright light. The choroidal vessels were perfectly visible and the pupil was normal. The media were transparent and the fundus of the eye normal and totally depigmented. Accommodation and refraction were normal. "The eye had a blueish sclera, a normal cornea, and a light blue iris which was very transparent to transillumination. Barcelona Zoo director Antonio Jonch wrote: He had poor vision, though tests to determine whether he had a central blind spot did not find one. Snowflake was a western lowland gorilla with non-syndromic oculocutaneous albinism. Originally named Nfumu Ngui in Fang language ("white gorilla") by his captor, he was then nicknamed Floquet de Neu ( Catalan for "little snowflake" ) by his keeper, Jordi Sabater Pi. Mañé then kept Snowflake at his home for four days before transporting him to Bata, where he was purchased by primatologist Jordi Sabater Pi. Mañé had killed the rest of Snowflake's gorilla group (traditional in colour). These animals are an exciting rarity that we should always feel privileged to witness.Snowflake was captured in the Río Muni region in Spanish Guinea on 1 October 1966 by ethnic Fang farmer Benito Mañé. White Diamond – the world famous albino alligator who called the Serengeti park in Germany his home. Named Lightning because of his color and because he was born during a storm. Lightning – a deer born in Stirling in Scotland. His name means “ghost-boy” in an aboriginal language. Onya-Birri – a koala-bear kept at the San Diego Zoo. It’s widely believed that Snowflake was the world’s most photographed animal. Snowflake lived 39 years and passed in 2003 after suffering with skin cancer. Snowflake – the world’s only known albino gorilla kept in Barcelona Zoo. It’s believed for every 10,000 mammals born, 1 will be albino and this shows how rare the condition really is. There have been sightings of albino snakes, racoons, frogs and deer. Albinos are rare because the genes which cause albinism are recessive and rarely occur.Īpproximately three hundred species across North America have albino members. An albino offspring is formed from a specific combination of genes coming together in any species. We have some of both pictured here.Īlbinism is an inherited trait and is passed from adult to young. All albino animals have pink/red eyes whereas white animals with blue eyes are called leucistic, which means they may have a reduced amount of pigmentation in relation to a normal specimen of their species but it is not as severe as albinism. This lack of melanin generally results in the animal looking bleached all over, appearing white or pink.īeing white doesn’t mean an animal is albino. Melanin creates the normal pigmentation and coloring in an animal’s skin, fur or scales. Not one inch of their natural coloring comes through as their bodies are unable to produce a pigment known as melanin. They have all the characteristics of others of their species except they are all white in color. Albino animals are extremely rare and unusual.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |