Britain's first albino penguin makes a dazzling 入り口

by JAMES CHAPMAN, Daily Mail

Fortunately it wasn't snowing when he hatched.

さもなければ, Snowdrop the African penguin could easily have been overlooked by his keepers.

The dazzling white fledgling is Britain's first albino penguin, and the first born in 捕らわれた 世界的な.

専門家s said the chances of him 存在 hatched were a million to one.

Albinism occurs in reptiles, birds and 哺乳動物s when an animal 相続するs 欠陥のある 遺伝子s from both its parents.

These 遺伝子s are 責任がある the 生産／産物 of the pigment melanin, which makes 肌, hair and fur brownish rather than white.

Duncan Bolton, curator at Bristol Zoo Gardens where Snowdrop was born six weeks ago, said he was a rarity in the wild 同様に.

'I 接触するd my 同僚s in South Africa to find out just how unusual Snowdrop is,' he said. 'So far they have 跡をつけるd 負かす／撃墜する only two 記録，記録的な／記録するd sightings of albino penguins in the wild.'

Keepers were stunned when he 現れるd from his 爆撃する minutes after his 黒人／ボイコット-and-white siblings.

'We were all very excited,' said Nigel Simpson, who is 手渡す-後部ing Snowdrop.

'But we had to wait for his 注目する，もくろむs to open before we could be sure he was an albino, as the red 注目する，もくろむs are the tell-tale 調印する.'

Snowdrop will be introduced to the zoo's 50-strong 植民地 of penguins before the New Year.

Once in the enclosure, vets believe his biggest problem will be 避けるing sunburn.

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