Piebald deer. Photo credit: Barry Carruth
MONTGOMERY-Seeing white-tailed deer is an exciting occurrence for sure, but when that deer is a color we do not frequently see, it is a sight to behold. Color variations are a rare occurrence among deer but do occur and can be contributed to three genetic variations. Those variations are albinism, melanism, and piebaldism. Each one of these mutated color variations are genetically transferred from the parents and affects the presence of melanin in the skin. Melanin is the main pigment that determines the color of skin, fur, and eyes. An abundance of melanin provides darker color variations, while a lack of melanin provides white or lighter skin colors. These variations can occur in patches or uniformly across the body and generally does not affect the overall health of the deer but can interfere with their ability to be more cryptic in nature.
Albinism is the genetic variation when no melanin is present. This occurs in 1 out of 10,000 deer born. Albino deer are rare, and appear pure white in color, with pink eyes. With no color pigmentation present, albino deer are often sensitive to UV light and have poor eyesight. In contrast, melanism is the over development of dark-colored pigment in skin, fur, or appendages. This genetic variation is the rarest of the three mutations and is reported to occur between 1 in 20,000-100,000 deer born. The most common of the three genetic color variations is called Piebalism. Piebalism is believed to occur in 1 out of every 1000 deer born. Piebald deer have irregular white patches on their body, fur, or appendages, and are often normal deer with a different color pattern. In comparison to albinism, melanin is present with piebalism and eyesight is generally unaffected.
People are often concerned about the well-being of color variate animals due to their unusual appearance. However, color variate deer are typically healthy but often draw more attention due to their unique color patterns. This attention is not only drawn by humans but predators too. If an animal stands out and has no camouflage they become easier prey to predators, which can make everyday life difficult. Although, this isn’t true for every species, and albino as well as melanistic and piebald deer, while being different in color than we are used to seeing, often live long healthy lives. If you are lucky enough to see one of these rarities, share your sightings on the Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Facebook page!
To find out more visit Outdoor Alabama’s website.
Media Release/Outdoor Alabama
