Rare albino Galápagos giant tortoise makes debut at Swiss zoo
A “first of its kind,” a tiny white Galapagos tortoise, has made its public debut at a zoo in Switzerland.
This cute little animal is officially the first-ever albino Galapagos tortoise with pale skin and red eyes.
According to ABC News, the baby turtle was born in May. Its egg spent two and a half months in an incubator in the Tropiquarium in Servion.
RARE SIGHTING: A baby albino Galapagos giant tortoise made its debut at the Swiss Tropiquarium in Servion. https://t.co/IhPWoaivgr pic.twitter.com/cUlrpyQGVI
– ABC News (@ABC) June 6, 2022
in the a statementthe zoo staff wrote: “Albinism is rare in turtles with about one case per 100,000 individuals compared to about one case per 20,000 individuals in humans.”
The statement also added that these species are critically endangered. These turtles were bred as part of a “conservation program”.
The tiny turtle weighs about 50 grams (1.7 ounces or 1.10 pounds) and easily fits in the palm of your hand.
😍🐢🤍 This is a tiny little Galápagos giant tortoise with an albino personality – one of two that recently hatched at Tropiquarium, a zoo in Switzerland.
This is extremely rare – there are no wildly documented cases and this is the first time it has been seen in captivity.
📷: Tropiquarium pic.twitter.com/aEVQorqi1K— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) June 13, 2022
The mother reportedly weighs more than 100 kilos (220 pounds or 3527 ounces). She gave birth to another turtle that is black just like her parents.
Visitors can now catch a glimpse of a rare albino Galapagos giant tortoise at a Swiss zoo https://t.co/i9tmVUtlBC pic.twitter.com/OwhmCLFwem
— Reuters (@Reuters) June 4, 2022
Albino animals are unable to produce a skin pigment known as melanin, which gives color to the skin, hair, eyes, and feathers — and in this case, the turtle’s shell. Albino animals often have red eyes because their eyes lack pigment. Thus, the eyes appear the same color as the blood vessels under the eyes.
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