buck460XVR
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- Feb 6, 2007
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Since Albinism is caused by a recessive gene, it must be a gene brought into the birth from both parents. In Mammals it occurs about once every 10,000 births. Inbreeding will increase frequency, and is why populations living together in small areas tend to have more. Here in Wisconsin we have a whole herd of Albino deer in a area north of me, while in the rest of the state, they are very infrequent. The exception is on the local Military base, where the deer have become so accustomed to humans they live around the buildings. These animals, because they have lived there from birth inbreed and produce many true albinos along with many Pie-bald deer. I have seen only one white squirrel in my life in the wild. Domestic New Zealand rabbits are albinos due to restrictive breeding as are white laboratory mice. In birds, reptiles and amphibians, the rate of albinism is about 5-6 times higher that with mammals.
That said, my back yard is filled with Black Squirrels, along with other dark brown to rusty cocoa colors. This too is a recessive genetic trait, often caused by inbreeding but occurs much more than albinism. Thing is, all the squirrels in my back yard are Greys and the gene that causes them to turn black is now known to have originated in Fox Squirrels. So it's not just inbreeding, it's also caused from the interbreeding of two species.
That said, my back yard is filled with Black Squirrels, along with other dark brown to rusty cocoa colors. This too is a recessive genetic trait, often caused by inbreeding but occurs much more than albinism. Thing is, all the squirrels in my back yard are Greys and the gene that causes them to turn black is now known to have originated in Fox Squirrels. So it's not just inbreeding, it's also caused from the interbreeding of two species.
