A striking piebald deer sighting in southern Maine is drawing plenty of attention online.
WMTW ABC 8 reported that retired photojournalist, Kevyn Fowler, captured video of a rare piebald white-tailed deer wandering through the landscape in April.
What makes the animal so unusual is its coat.
Instead of the typical brown coloring seen on most white-tailed deer, this kind has large patches of bright white fur mixed with darker areas.
That rarity is a big reason the footage has spread online.
Piebaldism is a rare genetic trait. It "reportedly affects less than 1% of white-tailed deer populations, although this may vary regionally due to differing hunting restrictions on deer affected by the piebald trait," as Melanie Kunkel and Dr. Nicole Nemeth detailed in a Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study report.
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The mutation causes patches of skin to lack the specialized pigment cells that give deer hair its color. The skin beneath the white hair also lacks pigment.
While animals with albinism have pigment cells, they lack certain genes. These cells fail to produce color, causing the entire animal to appear white.
While albino deer have pink eyes due to the complete lack of pigment, piebald deer eyes are normal in color.
Some of the genes that cause piebaldism also control other physical traits. Some piebald deer have mild or severe skeletal deformities at birth.
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Both parents must carry the piebald gene in order for their fawn to be piebald. Deer born with milder symptoms of this rare condition often still have fully functioning bodies. Others might be mostly white but look a little different. They may have dwarfism or arched spines that could affect their chances of survival in the wild.
In Fowler's video, the deer's mottled coat is impossible to miss. Its bold white sections sharply contrast its brown fur.
Sightings like this can spark public interest in local wildlife and highlight the genetic diversity that exists in nature. They also serve as a reminder that even familiar animals like white-tailed deer can still surprise us.
In regions where deer are common, moments like this can encourage greater appreciation for habitat protection and added caution on roads where deer are active.
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