Wildly rare white leucistic alligator born at Gatorland is one of only eight alive today

Orlando's own "alligator capital of the world" welcomed a new addition to its park this week and made history in doing so.

Gatorland announced Thursday the birth of an extremely rare leucistic white alligator. The hatchling is now one of only eight white leucistic gators alive today, and the very first to be born into human care.

“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,'" said Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland.

McHugh said the new baby, a female, was born to parents Jeyan and Ashley alongside a normal-colored brother. The babies currently weigh in at 96 grams and are 49 centimeters long, both deemed healthy by the park's veterinarians.
Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator, the park says. This variation differs from albino gators, which have pink eyes and a complete loss of pigment in their skin. Leucism, however, causes white coloration and patches of normal coloration.

The rare gators are easily susceptible to sunburn because of their pigmentation, and must avoid long periods of direct sunlight. Leucistic gators also have blue eyes, as opposed to their albino relatives.

Gatorland recently welcomed the addition of a similarly rare baby gator, one brought to the park missing the upper half of its jaw. Affectionately named Jawlene, in honor of Dolly Parton, the young female gator is successfully recovering.

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