White moose: albino or a new variety?

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

Albino animals have always stood out quite brightly against the background of their natural color relatives. Therefore, the interest in such representatives of the fauna on the part of people has always been special. In Scandinavia, Canada, and Sweden in particular, white elk have become increasingly common.

And as a result of the “caught” photos and videos with these animals, eyewitnesses discussed the causes of albino moose. Are they really albinos, or is this a new breed?

Albino animals: mutants or victims of gene failure?

From a biological point of view, animals born completely white, with an unusual color, are victims of a gene failure. We call such animals albinos, but we cultivate them as something mysterious and surrounded by a mystery that we really want to unravel.

Albinism cannot be cured or waited until the animal acquires color. The gene responsible forpigmentation of wool, skin, eyes, is absent. And this means that the chances of survival for such an albino are small, since it becomes a living target for a predator, or a predator dooms its life to a hungry existence. In addition, such representatives of the animal world have poor hearing, vision and low immunity. Due to this, their life is usually half the life of ordinary relatives.

Albinos can be complete or partial. With complete albinism, the animal has red eyes. In fact, the pigment of the eye is absent, and we see the capillaries and choroid. Partial albinos have retinal color and partial coloration. There are still different opinions about the white moose: whether he is an albino or not. Read more about meeting this animal in the next section.

Swedish white moose

Not so long ago, a local resident in the western part of Sweden managed to capture an unusual snow-white elk. In the video and photo in which he was "caught", he enters a reservoir in the commune of Eda. From the filmed material it is clear that this is an absolutely white elk, and even its horns are white. Another Swedish resident, but this time in the Mukendal commune, also managed to meet this unusual animal. An elk entered her garden, which discouraged the owner of the plot. This amazing animal was also spotted in the Swedish province of Vermand.

Such an unusual color of a completely white moose is explained by two versions:

Congenital albinism of partial type. The thing is, he has eyes.natural color, unlike full-type albinos.
Genetic variation of moose pigmentation, which is a new variety.

There is a lot of controversy here, as many are of the opinion that the white elk is not an albino just because of its natural eye color. In defense of this theory, experts refer to moose with snow-white color, which were found with brown horns, as it should be in ordinary representatives of this population.

Albino white moose protection

In the countries of Scandinavia and Canada, a law has been introduced to protect these individuals. They are forbidden to be shot by hunters, even if the animal is 50% white. And this means that this gene will be passed down from generation to generation, and there may be more white elks in the near future.