albinism
Sign in to saveAlbinism is the congenital absence of pigmentation (in mammals, melanin) in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, red hair, yellow hair, feathers, scales and skin and red, pink, purple, or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos.
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Albinism is a condition present from birth in which an animal or plant lacks pigmentation, resulting in white, red, or yellow coloring in their hair, skin, and feathers, along with unusually colored eyes like red, pink, or blue. People and animals with albinism are called albinos, and the condition affects how they appear throughout their lives.
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Article
38 sectionsContents
- Biological colouration
- Animal colouration
- Pigments
- Structural colours
- Plant colouration
- Definition
- Mechanism and frequency
- Consequences
- Abnormal eye development and appearance
- Reduced protection from sunlight in albino creatures
- Survival value
- Reduced viability
- Hearing disorders
- In mammals
- Naturally occurring
- Terrestrial mammals
- Marine mammals
- Artificially selected
- Famous albino mammals
- In birds
- In fish
- Naturally occurring
- In Actinopterygii
- In Chondrichthyes
- In Hyperoartia
- In Sarcopterygii
- Artificially selected
- In reptiles
- In amphibians
- Genetics
- In invertebrates
- In insects
- In echinoderms
- In arachnids
- Related pigment disorders
- In plants
- See also
- References
Albinism is the congenital absence of pigmentation (in mammals, melanin) in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, red hair, yellow hair, feathers, scales and skin and red, pink, purple, or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albinos.
Varied use and interpretation of the terms mean that written reports of albinistic animals can be difficult to verify. Albinism can reduce the survivability of an animal; for example, it has been suggested that albino alligators have an average survival span of only 24 years due to the lack of protection from UV radiation and their lack of camouflage to avoid predators. It is a common misconception that all albino animals have characteristic pink or red or violet eyes (resulting from the lack of pigment in the iris allowing the blood vessels of the retina to be visible); this is not the case for some forms of albinism. Familiar albino animals include in-bred strains of laboratory animals (rats, mice and rabbits), but populations of naturally occurring albino animals exist in the wild, e.g., Mexican cave tetra. Albinism is a well-recognized phenomenon in molluscs, both in the shell and in the soft parts. By definition albinism is a genetic condition, however a similar coloration could be caused by diet, living conditions, age, disease, or injury.