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Rare white alligator born at a reptile park in Florida

By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Orlando, Florida, USA - February 9, 2020 : Large alligator head at the main entrance to Gatorland theme Park and wildlife preserve located along South Orange Blossom Trail south of Orlando.

Gatorland File photo. Large alligator head at the main entrance to Gatorland theme Park and wildlife preserve located along the South Orange Blossom Trail south of Orlando. (miroslav_1/Getty Images)

By Jessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — A very rare white leucistic alligator was born at Gatorland Orlando in Florida.

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“This is beyond rare. It is absolutely extraordinary,” Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, said in a statement, obtained by The Associated Press.

The female alligator was born at 19.2 inches and is one of a few known leucistic alligators, Gatorland Orlando said on Thursday, according to the AP.

“For the first time since a nest of leucistic alligators was discovered in the swamps of Louisiana 36 years ago, we have the first birth of a solid white alligator ever recorded from those original alligators. This is beyond “rare, it is absolutely extraordinary and the first one in the world,” Gatorland Orlando said on Facebook.

“Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator. They differ from albino alligators, which have pink eyes and a complete loss of pigment,” the park said.

The park is looking for the public’s help in naming the alligator, according to the AP.

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