Albino Turtle

 

 

     The Albino Slider is yet another opportunity for a Breeder to illustrate the ability to remove pigmentation from a species. They are generally considered yet another color morph or hybrid is selective breeding projects. Hatchlings display a bright yellow hue. This same hue will fade to creamy shade of yellow as they mature. They will also demonstrate the common bands present on the Red Ear Slider, but instead of the more common red bands, you will instead see an orange hue, as a result of the lack of pigmentation.

     Albinism is caused by a lack of melanin pigment and albino Snapping Turtles account for only one in every 30,000. In the wild, albino turtles rarely live to adulthood as their distinct coloring makes them stand out to predators as tasty snacks. 

This is Minty, a white green turtle at Reef HQ in Townsville Australia. Minty was not an albino but leucistic -- which means that it had colour pigment cells but did not have the enzymes to activate the colour. Turtles like this do not often survive in the wild as they are an obvious target for predators, so Minty was transferred to Reef HQ just after his birth.