In Alaska, a white shape on the tundra turned out to be an albino caribou unseen for decades

An albino caribou has been spotted in Alaska for the first time since 1976.

Here's what to know

Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist Jordan Pruszenski spotted the calf during a routine caribou count on Alaska's tundra, as Whiskey Riff reported.

Citing Alaska Public Media, Alaska's official records list only nine or 10 albino caribou sightings, highlighting how rare it is.

A white-looking caribou is not necessarily a true albino. A partial pigment-loss condition known as leucism is somewhat more common and usually leaves the eyes and hooves their normal color. True albinism is far rarer, with estimates placing it at roughly one in every 30,000 caribou.

Because albinism is a recessive trait, the calf would have to inherit the gene from both parents. When that happens, normal pigmentation can be missing from the animal's hair, skin, and other tissue.

More background

From birth, an albino calf can face steep survival challenges. Across the terrain where caribou live, a completely white body makes the animal easier for predators to notice.

Physical problems often linked to albino caribou include spinal abnormalities, shortened legs, deformed hooves, shortened jaws, and serious immune-system issues.

Because of these complications, albino caribou typically have shorter lifespans, adding further reason to the limited number of documented sightings.

However, its coloring is not purely a disadvantage. Snowy conditions can work in the calf's favor, since white fur offers some camouflage in Alaska's landscape. 

Whiskey Riff also noted the animal's cultural significance, reporting that Native Americans regarded white caribou as enchanted animals, signs of peace, and beings with sacred meaning.

What's being done?

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game said neither the calf nor its mother was fitted with a collar, and there are no plans to do so. The department wants to give the calf the best possible chance to keep living normally in the wild.

Officials are choosing observation over direct action, even though the animal's rarity could make people especially eager to find it. Whiskey Riff reported that officials hope the calf survives and is spotted again, and asked people to report sightings but not to pursue or disturb the animal.

Where can I learn more?

Rare animal sightings and the challenges facing Arctic wildlife are happening in Alaska and beyond.

• Across northern ranges, human activity is disrupting caribou migration patterns researchers need to preserve.

• In South Africa, ghostly fur makes white lions among the rarest sights in the wild.

• In Pahrump, Nevada, the odds are 1 in 30,000 for a white raven sighting.

• In Alaska, scientists thought the instrument was malfunctioning when wolf contamination readings surged.

• In Alaska, isolated belugas avoid inbreeding by switching mates across a small population.

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