| Ian Dunn
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| 172331. Sun May 06, 2007 11:41 am |
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As you've probably seen, I've reported a story about an albino hedgehog being born in Cumbria. However, there are in fact lots of animals that can be born albino. The source of the story (the Daily Mail, sadly) had a gallery of albino animals, including peacocks, lions, wallabies, squirrels and whales.
Does anybody know how many animals can be born albino?
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My petition: Get QI Series D and onwards released on DVD |
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| Celebaelin
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| 172333. Sun May 06, 2007 11:51 am |
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| Quote: | Broadly, melanin is any of the polyacetylene, polyaniline, and polypyrrole "blacks" and "browns" or their mixed copolymers. The most common form of biological melanin is a polymer of either or both of two monomer molecules: indolequinone, and dihydroxyindole carboxylic acid. Melanin exists in the plant, animal and protista kingdoms, where it serves as a pigment. The presence of melanin in the archaea and bacteria kingdoms is an issue of ongoing debate amongst researchers in the field.
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Melanin deficiency has been connected for some time with various genetic abnormalities and disease states. There are approximately ten different types of oculocutaneous albinism, which is mostly an autosomal recessive disorder. |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanin
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2126367&dopt=Abstract
So it seems that depending on how precisely you define it a very broad range of species could exhibit 'albinism'; individuals from the plant, animal and protista kingdoms might exhibit genetic disorders which would be equivalent on a genetic level but whether that would produce the same affects in eg a protist seems doubtful to me. Surely we’ve all seen pictures of cave dwelling insects and fish that are pigment-free though?
http://www.floridasprings.org/anatomy/life/insects/assets/foto_albinocrayfish_thm.jpg
(Crayfish)
http://z.about.com/d/exoticpets/1/0/i/5/1/amulthea040.jpg
(Kingsnake)
http://www.scotcat.com/images/hemibagrus_nemurus_albino.jpg
(Fish!)
http://xo.typepad.com/blog/albino-thumb.jpg
(Gorilla)
http://ghs.gresham.k12.or.us/science/ps/nature/basin/5petal/figwort/mimulus/lewisii4.jpg
(Lewis’ Monkey Flower)
Calling this last an albino clearly doesn't refer to the chlorophyll and may not refer to melanin either, normally the flowers are red. This doesn't mean plants can't be abnormally melanin-free though.
A bit of checking suggests that similarly albino protists are generally those which are pigment-free as a result of lacking eg mitochondria or chloroplasts but any lacking melanin could be said to be albinos in the sense that you intend I imagine. |
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| King of Quok
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| grizzly
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| 172359. Sun May 06, 2007 1:43 pm |
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| We have a blackbird in our garden with a white spot on its back which I presume is some sort of albinoism. |
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| Helios
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| 172447. Mon May 07, 2007 5:57 am |
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| grizzly wrote: | | We have a blackbird in our garden with a white spot on its back which I presume is some sort of albinoism. |
Probably just paint. |
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| barbados
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| 172452. Mon May 07, 2007 7:57 am |
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| THe bottom picture there looks as though it's just a normal bird that has been sat under a fruit tree near in the Surrey stockbroker belt. |
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| cornixt
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| 172507. Mon May 07, 2007 2:28 pm |
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| grizzly wrote: | | We have a blackbird in our garden with a white spot on its back which I presume is some sort of albinoism. |
Bird poo. |
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| Frances
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| 172518. Mon May 07, 2007 3:04 pm |
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| If it had been a pigeon, we might have guessed a statue was getting its own back. Or, alternatively, that the pigeon was. |
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| Frances
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| 172517. Mon May 07, 2007 3:04 pm |
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| If it had been a pigeon, we might have guessed a statue was getting its own back. Or, alternatively, that the pigeon was. |
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| Mulvil
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| 172647. Tue May 08, 2007 11:49 am |
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| My sister had an albino californian king snake |
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| Long Haired Hippy
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| 172764. Tue May 08, 2007 4:58 pm |
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| Mulvil wrote: | | My sister had an albino californian king snake |
I know an owner of an albino californian king snake. Does your sister like Dragons by any chance?
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http://www.stopsylvia.com the new home of Stop Sylvia Browne |
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| Tas
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| 172766. Tue May 08, 2007 5:03 pm |
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My ex (who likes Dragons) had (and possibly still has) a Cali King. Called Brighton, if I recall (as in Brighton rock, being as he was pink).
:-)
Tas |
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| Long Haired Hippy
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| 172780. Tue May 08, 2007 5:37 pm |
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Well that's three possibilities.
Is my friend, Mulvil's sister? Is Tas's ex Mulvil's sister? Is my friend Tas's ex?
Well I don't think my friedn is Tas's ex as I know who she was going out with when she aquired the baby snake and she'd been with him for years and still is. Also the snake was very white - not pink. However there is a Brighton connection just not the name of the snake.
Coincidiences, coinicidences. |
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| Tas
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| 172937. Wed May 09, 2007 11:55 am |
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Can't be my ex, unless Mulvil is a laydee as my ex came from an all-laydee family (except for her dad, of course, although he may have had his gender re-assigned, if only to stop the loo-seat up/down rows).
:-)
Tas |
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