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[Columbia, SC] - A rare white alligator that is being held by Riverbanks Zoo and Garden for South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources goes on exhibit tomorrow after spending two years behind the scenes.
"We're very excited that we're able to offer this gator such a great exhibit space in our Tropical Gallery at the Aquarium Reptile Complex," said Satch Krantz, executive director for Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. "For the last two years, he's thrived under our keepers' care and now he's gotten big enough to where he'll enjoy the extra space an exhibit has to offer."
Riverbanks' alligator is no different than a normal American alligator with the exception that his skin is white. The white skin, in this case, is a result of being a leucistic alligator, a condition easily confused with being albino.
Albino alligators have no pigment and as a consequence, are light pink with pink eyes. Their births in the wild are fairly common, though most don't survive because of their inability to hide from predators and their sensitivity to sunlight. Leucistic alligators, on the other hand, actually have white skin as opposed to a lack of pigment and as a result, have normal colored eyes. They are exceedingly rare and are not sensitive to sunlight but do face the same problem hiding from predators.
Riverbanks' white alligator has brown eyes and a patch of black skin on the top of its head – the natural skin color of the American alligator. The alligator, which is currently about 2-feet long, will soon be joined by several other American alligators of the same age and size.
SCE&G's ZooView webcam will catch the alligator's debut on camera. The webcam is taking a one-year tour of Riverbanks, stopping to focus for a period of one month each on twelve animals at the Zoo. To see live footage of the white alligator starting July 6, visit www.riverbanks.org, www.scegzooview.com, www.wltx.com or www.thestate.com.
| The ZooView schedule for the rest of the year includes the following stops: |
| August 3 |
Tigers |
| September 7 |
Lions |
| October 5 |
Grizzly bears |
| November 2 |
Sea lions |
| December 7 |
Gorillas |
| January 4 |
Meerkats |
| February 8 |
Elephants |
| March 8 |
Giraffes |
| April 5 |
Koalas |
| May 3 |
Siamangs |
| June 7 |
Lorikeets |
For people who want to see the white alligator in person, Riverbanks Zoo and Garden is open from 9:00am until 5:00pm on weekdays and until 6:00pm on weekends. For more information, visit www.riverbanks.org or call 803.779.8717.
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