When Nature Runs Out Of Paint: All-White Animals

Given the millions of different shades of color that we see in nature, it’s no wonder that, once in a while, nature might simply run out of paint. Perhaps this is why pure-white animals leave such a strong impression on us. Some of them look like ghostly spirit animals. Others, like albino whales or moose, are lonely one-in-a-million albinos with striking, unexpected appearances.

Albinism (with its root in the Latin word albus, or white) is a form of hypopigmentary congenital disorder, characterized by a partial lack or total absence of melanin pigment in the eyes, skin and hair, or more rarely in the eyes alone. Due to this, animals (and humans too) with albinism are unusually pale. The eyes of an animal with albinism occasionally appear red because of the underlying retinal blood vessels showing through where there is not enough pigment to cover them.

Some of the animals on this list are albinos, while others are simply members of rare white species. Whatever the case, mankind has been fascinated by such animals for ages. Some consider them to be sacred, and others – demonic.

Whether you find them strange, beautiful, ghostly or freakish, we hope you enjoy this collection of animals that nature simply forgot to color in.