White Deer and Albinism
I could not believe my eyes and I could not keep the camera still. We have been following a white deer since 1999 and when we saw three it was heart jumping exciting. Luckily. I was able to get photos. Monday I sent photos off to a couple of people and it was agreed that the deer were not albino because their eyes were not pink - right? Wrong! Dr. Sid Wilroy, a dear friend and geneticist, corrected our common misconception that albinos must have pink eyes. It turns out the an albino can have white pigmentation and blue eyes. So… Albinos with the classic milky white skin and hair are often found with dark eyes. The scientific name for this is tyrosinase negative and it is inherited as autosomal recessive. Inbreeding of the herd??
Finally, another interesting piece of genetic science - a missing link from Dr. Wilroy: Another type is called piebald and these are inherited as a dominant meaning if a parent has this there is 1out of 2 that that parent will pass it on.
And if you are interested in more White Deer check out this site sent to us from writers
Bob Humphrey and Lon Lauber: