Leucistic vs. Albino: What's The Difference?

It is difficult to differentiate leucistic vs albino because these conditions share similar characteristics, like white discoloration. The former refers to the absence of all color pigment cells, while the latter is the absence of the cells needed for melanin production. 

This article explains these genetic conditions and how they manifest in living organisms–  birds, reptiles, and humans.

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What is albinism?

Albinism is a rare genetic mutation that prevents the production of the melanin pigment. This mutation occurs in all species, including humans, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Melanin is the chemical responsible for the color of the eyes, hair, and skin. Albinism causes living organisms with these genetic mutations to have white, pale, or muted colors.

Albino animals can’t produce melanin in their skin, eyes, and hair, so they have pale skin, fur, plumage, and scales. They also have red or pink eyes because the mutation also affects the pigment cells in blood vessels in the eyes. 

Does albinism just develop in living organisms, or is it hereditary? 

Parents often pass these genetic mutation traits to their offspring. The parents don't necessarily have to be albinos themselves. They can transfer the recessive genes regardless. 

There are two primary types of albinism: oculocutaneous albinism and ocular albinism. Oculocutaneous albinism refers to mutations that affect the eyes, skin, and hair, while ocular albinism only affects the eyes.

Some examples of rare albino animals are Summer, an albino snake, and Snowflake, an albino gorilla. Summer is a ten-year-old albino California Kingsnake with pale yellow stripes and bleached white colors. Snowflake, a western lowland gorilla, is the only known albino gorilla in the world.

What is leucism?

Leucism is the complete lack of all color pigment cells, not only melanin pigment. People often confuse albinism and leucism. An animal with leucism has pale or muted colors. Sometimes, this unique coloration occurs in irregular patches around the body¹.

Also, leucism doesn’t affect the eyes. An animal with leucism may have pale or white patches and regular-colored eyes. Some other genetic mutations with the same appearance as leucism are vitiligo, melanophilin, amelanism, Waardenburg syndrome, and axanthism. 

Some call leucism partial albinism because of the white patches on feathers and hide. However, there's nothing like partial albinism because it affects all the pigments that produce melanin. Like albinism, leucism is inherited from parents², and the severity of neural crest disorders depends on the offspring's and their parents' genes.

Difference between albinism and leucism

How do albinism and leucism manifest in various animal species?

Albino reptiles have red eyes and a completely white body, while leucistic reptiles have white, dull, or blotchy scales. In leucistic reptiles, some parts of their body can remain unaffected. The partial occurrence of leucism is pied or piebald, 

Leucism in bird species is the complete or partial loss of eumelanin and pheomelanin in the feathers. It doesn’t affect their eyes, bills, or feet. A bird with leucism will have patches of white or completely white feathers. Leucism is common among the red-necked nightjar bird species³.

A leucistic robin was sighted in February 2021. The bird had a dark brown back, a reddish-brown belly, and scattered white spots on its feathers. Its beak, eyes, and feet maintained their natural color.

Albinistic birds have completely white feathers with pink or reddish eyes. Their beaks and feet are colorless, too. It is extremely rare to see an albino bird in the wild. Most of the birds with mutations are leucistic. Unfortunately, albinism and leucism in animals make them weak and vulnerable to predators. 

Leucism weakens birds' feathers, making them easily prone to damage. The discoloration of their feathers makes it difficult for them to blend into the background, making them an easy meal for predators. Also, some birds with these conditions might have trouble mating because potential mates don't recognize or find them attractive.

Albinism In Humans.

Albinism affects eyesight, skin, and overall health in humans. Human albinos tend to have trouble seeing objects that are close or far from them—nearsightedness and farsightedness, looking in the same direction at the same time without looking cross-eyed, and having poor depth perception.

Their eyes are also extremely light-sensitive, and they might be legally or completely blind. A complete lack of melanin in humans makes their skin sensitive to the sun. They get severe sunburns, which increases the risk of developing skin cancer. 

The absence of melanin makes it difficult to detect melanoma, a type of skin cancer, in its early stages. Melanoma appears as pink or red growths on the skin instead of black or brown. People with melanoma are at risk of Chediak-Higashi syndrome and Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome. They are also prone to bruising easily⁵.

Conclusion: Leucistic vs. Albino

Albinism and Leucism are rare, but albinos are harder to come by. These unique genetic mutations make organisms vulnerable to dangerous situations. For example, albino animals can't hide from danger. Hunters and predators easily poach them, and they can't survive long in the wild.