Albinism is frequent condition in nature but leucism is a different matter. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin. A one-of-a-kind white southern elelphant seal was spotted and tagged on a sub Antarctic beach and was confirmed as leucistis. (Note dark eyes).BBC Earth News reports:
"The white seal, a young female, is leucistic, rather than albinistic. Albino animals lack pigment in just their eyes, or in their eyes, skin and hair, and they inherit the condition. Leucistic animals have little pigment and appear white all over, but with dark coloured eyes. The white seal has a uniformly creamy white coat of fur, with normal dark brown eyes and nose. Its whiskers, eyebrows and fingernails on its flippers are also light coloured compared to the species' usual dark colour. 'To our knowledge, we're the first to provided detailed evidence of such an animal anywhere,' says Ryan Reisinger of the University of Pretoria in South Africa" See full article
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