Jul 15, 2008

White Lion Photos


The White Lions are rare animals found in South Africa. They are not albino lions and the white color is a result of rare color mutation of the Kruger subspecies of lion (Panthera leo krugeri). White lions first came to attention of the world in the 1970s due to Chris McBride's book The White Lions of Timbavati.


The white color in these lions is caused by a recessive gene known as chinchilla or color inhibitor. Because the gene is recessive and is masked by the normal tawny colour, white lions remain rare in the wild and only occur when two lions carrying the mutant gene are mated together.


The bright coloration gives white lions a distinct disadvantage in nature because they are highly visible. This gives them away to their prey and makes them an attractive target for hunters.


The actual population of the white lion is unknown but the most recent count was in 2004 and 300 were alive.They are extinct in the wild and the greatest population of white lions is in zoos where they are deliberately bred for color.




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

these are some nice pictures

Anonymous said...

AWESOME PICS
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hawktail said...

why do they breed white lions? it seems they do it just for fun

Zoey said...

@ hawktail
There's an albino of every animal

Unknown said...

they are not albino..do some research.

Anonymous said...

MY FAV WAS THE FIRST 1

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