‘Beyond rare’ white alligator — one of only eight — born at Florida wildlife park

Christmas came early at Gatorland, Florida’s popular wildlife park, which welcomed an exceptionally rare white alligator — one of only eight in the entire world.

The Orlando zoo announced Thursday the hatching of a female leucistic white alligator, which it touted as “beyond rare” and “absolutely extraordinary.”

“Oh boy, we have some exciting news here at Gatorland,” said Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland. “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.”

Leucistic alligators are the rarest genetic variation in the American alligator, according to a statement from Gatorland.

Leucism, or partial loss of pigmentation, causes white coloration in alligators, but they often have patches of normal coloration on their skin, and brilliant blue eyes. They are not to be confused with albino alligators, which have a complete loss of pigment and pink eyes.

An exceptionally rare female leucistic white alligator hatched at Florida’s Gatorland park. Facebook/Gatorland Orlando
The female reptile hatched back in August along with her normal-colored brother, but the park kept her birth under wraps for months. Facebook/Gatorland Orlando

Like the albinos, however, leucistic alligators also cannot be exposed to direct sunlight for long periods of time because they sunburn easily, according to the zoo.

The new white alligator and her normal-hued brother hatched to parents Jeyan and Ashley back in August, but Gatorland kept the landmark birth a secret for nearly five months to make sure the critters were in good health.

“These are incredibly special animals in the reptile world, and we are being very careful with their safety and security,” McHugh said.

The brother and sister currently weigh 96 grams, or about 3.5 ounces, and are just under 49 cm in length, which is close to 20 inches.

The white alligator and her brother received “A+” for their health during their latest vet checkup. Facebook/Gatorland Orlando
Gatorland’s new addition is one of only eight white leucistic alligators in the world. Facebook/Gatorland Orlando

During the alligators’ latest checkup, a Gatorland veterinarian gave them “A+” on their health. Their diet consists of bite-size pieces of raw chicken and Croc Chow pellets.

Considering how rare leucistic alligators are, Gatorland has stepped up security at the park to protect its scaly bundle of joy, which could be worth millions of dollars.

“She’s in a locked house, in a locked room, in a locked aquarium. No one can get to her. I think there’s only one key,” the park’s international ambassador Savannah Boan told Yahoo News Australia.

The tiny reptile weights less than 3.5 ounces and dines on small pieces of chicken. Facebook/Gatorland Orlando

The park plans to put the white alligator and her brother on display early next year “so guests can see them, learn about them, and fall in love with them like we have,” Gatorland’s CEO gushed.

The park is appealing to the public for help with finding names for the two reptile siblings.