Tag albino

What is the difference between an albino animal and a melanistic animal?

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An albino animal lacks colour, so it is white and most of them have pink eyes. It does not have the melanin that forms colour. 

A leucistic animal is light or white with normal eye colour, such as brown, blue, or green.

A melanistic animal has normal or regular colouring.

There is also a term called amelanistic, which is an animal that lacks colour in most pigments but not all, so it is partially albino, and can have pink or normal coloured eyes.

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Leucistic Zebra Shark

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The Zebra Shark (Stegostoma fasciatum) is a marine (saltwater) fish in the Stegostomatidae family of carpet sharks. It is an elasmobranch cartilaginous fish — a fish that does not have a bony skeleton.

A leucistic Zebra Shark has reduced colouring, but not complete albinism. An albino lacks colour (it looks white) and has pink eyes. A leucistic animal is light or white, but does not have pink eyes. It has brown, blue, or green eyes.

The Zebra Shark has a slim, cylindrical body with a slightly flattened head, and a short, blunt snout (nose). A regular Zebra Shark is pale with a pattern of dark spots. It has five ridges along its body. It eyes are small and its nose has short barbels (like whiskers) from each nostril. Its mouth is almost straight with rows of sharp teeth. It has gill slits on the sides of its body to breathe underwater. 

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What is the difference between the African Lion and the White Lion?

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What is the difference between the African Lion and the White Lion?

The White Lion (Panthera leo) is a feline, or felid, mammal – a wild cat. It is different from the African Lion (Panthera leo leo) and the Asiatic Lion (Panthera leo persica), but it is more similar to the African Lion.

The White Lion is not albino. It is leucistic, which means that it has reduced colouring, but not complete albinism. An animal that is albino lacks colour and has pink eyes. A leucistic animal does not have pink eyes.

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What is the difference between a Burmese Python and an albino Burmese Python?

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What is the difference between a Burmese Python and an albino Burmese Python?

A Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) has dark-brown and light-brown patterned scales and brown or hazel eyes.

An albino Burmese Python (Python bivittatus) is a yellow-white variegated python with pink eyes.

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CREATURE FEATURE: Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard

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The Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides) is a skink – a reptile. The Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard (Tiliqua scincoides scincoides) is native specifically to southern and eastern Australia.

The Eastern Australian Blue-Tongued Lizard has a thick body and short legs. It has a distinct head. It has a blue tongue, and flat teeth. It can be varied colours, but is usually brown and brown-grey. The photographed Blue-Tongued Lizard is albino.

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