A special white alligator was born at Gatorland, a Florida theme park, and now they’re asking for the public’s help to name the unique gator. Gatorland in Orlando recently welcomed a rare white alligator born this summer. The park is seeking name suggestions from the public for the tiny gator. Some of the options so far include Ice, Noelle, Snow, Pearl, Ivory, and Marshmallow.
The female baby alligator has a condition called Leucism, which gives her a distinctive white color. This condition is different from albinism because it doesn’t affect the eyes. The baby gator’s parents are Jeyan and Ashley, with Jeyan being leucistic, hailing from a Louisiana swamp, while Ashley is colored. Both parents are reportedly in good health, and the baby was born alongside a normal-colored brother gator of the same size.
Leucistic alligators represent the rarest genetic variation of the American alligator, according to Gatorland. The park explained that Leucism causes white coloration, often with patches or splotches of normal coloration on the skin. Due to the lack of darker skin pigmentation, these alligators are sensitive to direct sunlight and can easily get sunburned. They typically have translucent skin and blue eyes, distinguishing them from albino alligators, which have red or pink eyes.
Gatorland plans to allow visitors to see the leucistic alligator and her normal-colored brother early next year. Leucistic alligators are often described as ethereal, ghostly, and beautiful, according to the US Audubon Nature Institute.
