Claude is an

albino Albinism is the congenital absence of melanin in an animal or plant resulting in white hair, feathers, scales and skin and pink or blue eyes. Individuals with the condition are referred to as albino. Varied use and interpretation of the term ...

alligator (''

Alligator mississippiensis The American alligator (''Alligator mississippiensis''), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile native to the Southeastern United States. It is one of the two extant species in the gen ...

'') at the

California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, California, that is among the largest museums of natural history in the world, housing over 46 million specimens. The Academy began in 1853 ...

. Claude lacks the pigment

melanin Melanin (; from el, μέλας, melas, black, dark) is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms. Eumelanin is produced through a multistage chemical process known as melanogenesis, where the oxidation of the amino ...

, resulting in colorless skin, and he has poor eyesight associated with his albinism.

Background

Claude was hatched on 15 September 1995 in Louisiana weighing . He weighs and is long. He has 76 teeth. He was in danger in the wilderness owing to albinism which did not allow him to camouflage into his surroundings like other alligators. There are only a couple of dozen known albino alligators in the world, all in captivity. Claude was taken to the

in 2008. In 2009, a finger on Claude's right claw was amputated after developing an infection from being bitten by another alligator. Claude appears completely white because he lacks the pigment melanin. He also has poor eye-sight due to his albinism.

References

{{reflist Individual albino animals Golden Gate Park Individual alligators 1995 animal births Individual animals in the United States California Academy of Sciences