• Question: what is the difference between an albino lion and a white lion

    Asked by musti 123 to Hephzi, Imogen, Jen, Jennifer, Tom on 17 Mar 2015.
    • Photo: Thomas Barrett

      Thomas Barrett answered on 17 Mar 2015:

      The white lion is a rare color mutation. White lions are not albinos. Their white colour is caused by a recessive trait derived from a less-severe mutation in the same gene that causes albinism.

      Albion is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect in the pigment cells. Animals have multiple pigments and for these, albinism is considered to be a hereditary condition characterised by the absence of pigment in the eyes, skin, hair, scales, feathers or cuticle.

    • Photo: Imogen Napper

      Imogen Napper answered on 17 Mar 2015:

      White lions are not albinos.
      The white colour has been caused by the genes they received from their parents.

      However, albinism is a genetic condition where people (or animals) are born without the usual pigment (colour) in their bodies. They aren’t able to make a normal amount of melanin, the chemical that is responsible for eye, skin, and hair colour. So most people with albinism have very pale skin, hair, and eyes.

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