Extremely rare white alligator is born at a Florida reptile park

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — An extremely rare white leucistic alligator has been born at a Florida reptile park.

The 19.2-inch female slithered out of its shell and into the history books as one of a few known leucistic alligators, Gatorland Orlando said Thursday.

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

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, according to Gatorland.

Park visitors will be able to see the leucistic alligator and her normal-colored brother early next year.

“For now, however, we continue to keep them safe where we can closely monitor their health and growth,” McHugh said.