World’s ‘rarest alligator’ is born in Florida with sparkling blue eyes and white scales

A park in Florida announced the birth of the world's rarest alligator, a white alligator with crystal blue eyes.

The baby was welcomed by Gatorland, which said the “extraordinary” birth was not an albino but of a much rarer breed called the alligator leucistic.

These species differ from albinism because leucistic crocodiles have defects in pigment-producing cells rather than lacking pigmentation and the feature Occasional scales similar to those found on a typical crocodile.

The young female, who was born with her normal-coloured sibling, weighed 96 grams and was 49 cm long.

“This is the culmination of 15 years of work and research to produce a baby alligator for Gatorland,” Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, told Dailymail.com.

“This has only happened a few times in the wild and never in human care,” he continued.

“We are thrilled about this birth because it opens the door for us to continue this rare genetic line for people to see and learn about them and develop a desire to preserve and preserve American alligators.” '

Located in Orlando, Florida, the 110-acre theme park now houses three of the world's seven live alligators.

The leucistic crocodile does not differ from the common crocodile in eating habits and temperament, but like the albinos, it can burn when it comes into contact with direct sunlight.

Their light color also means they cannot blend into their surroundings, making them easy prey for predators. Otherwise, the louse crocodile is no different from any other crocodile.

“She's just a regular baby crocodile except for her white color and her striking dark eyes that will gradually turn light blue as she gets older,” McHugh said.

The young woman was born alongside her naturally colored brother (pictured)

The baby alligators were 19 inches long from the tip of their nose to their tail at birth and received a clean bill of health

Two alligators were born at Gatorland amusement park in Orlando, Florida

McHugh told Dailymail.com that Gatorland's alligator breeding program is entirely self-funded.

Gatorland was motivated to breed the alligator because it is “the rarest phenotype or color variation of the American alligator,” he said.

The park bred two normal-colored crocodiles carrying the leucistic gene and mated one of them with a normal adult male, producing the only white offspring from the rare genetic line.

“They are absolutely magnificent crocodiles, and we have been focused on ensuring that this rare color stage continues for generations to see and learn about,” McHugh said.

Speaking about the birth of the rare alligator, Danielle Lucas, a Gatorland employee, told the Orlando Sentinel: “I felt like I was dreaming.” It was surreal.

The odds of an alligator developing cancer are “one in a gazillion,” McHugh told the outlet.

“This is probably the biggest event that has ever happened, not only in the crocodile world but in the reptile world, to produce a vulgar crocodile,” he added. It's never heard of before.

The baby alligators, born to parents Gian and Ashley, are doing well so far and are already eating extra pellets and pieces of raw chicken, Gatorland said.

The two alligators are the first alligators to be born from the original reptiles following the rare reptiles that were discovered in a Louisiana swamp in 1987.

“It's really hard to get people to love something or care about preserving something that could kill or hurt you,” Savannah Boan, Gatorland's global ambassador, told the outlet.

“But when these crocodiles are like this, they're this beautiful…it works really well that people have a different perspective on it.”

Gatorland is asking for the public's help in naming the baby alligators, and said they will keep the mother and father together in hopes of continuing to breed the incredibly rare alligators.

“They've got a nice, secluded, quiet little place for themselves,” McHugh told the Orlando Sentinel.

“We will continue to breed this animal, and hopefully we will have more offspring next year.”