Already home to an abundance of special and endangered creatures, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, just an hour-and-a-half north of Umhlanga, can claim rarities within some of its protected species, as visitors recently discovered with the rare sighting of a white female reedbuck on the Western Shores and a pale Samango Monkey at Cape Vidal.
While most people might think these animals are albinos, the story is somewhat more complicated. An albino animal is white because of genetic mutations that alter the pigment cells of the skin, and the eyes are transparent. The pink/red appearance of the eye is due to the colour from the blood vessels behind them.
Although the animals appear white/pale in colour, the colour of their eyes is dark, not pink. They most likely have a condition called “Leucism”, which means although their coat appears white/pale, they still produce some pigment and they have normal-coloured eyes.
Scientists have investigated how an albino/leucistic animal’s lack of camouflage affects them as far as predators are concerned. Sometimes these animals are noticed and captured more easily than normal animals, but in other instances predators did not seem to recognise them as prey. A number of studies on birds have showed that albino/leucistic birds have trouble winning a mate. They were consistently rejected, probably because they lack characteristics such as feather pattern and colour that are important for potential mates in making their choices.
Leucism can occur in any animal species, with another famous example being the white lions of Timbavati. So the next time you are on a game drive through iSimangaliso, keep your eyes open and camera ready for sightings of these unusual creatures. Digital photographs of such rare sightings will be much appreciated and can be emailed to Lindy Duffield (lindy@isimangaliso.com) or Xander Combrink (combrinx@kznwildlife.com).
– Info from iSimangaliso Newsflash