ALBINO DEER ... Did you know they exist?

 Julep and Derby couldn't believe their little brown

westie eyes yesterday when we spotted an

albino deer in a field along the St. Michaels Road.

My first thought was ... why is that big

goat loose and standing next to that deer?

 Upon closer inspection it was a deer, much to my surprise!

So at my first stop I pulled out my iPhone

and did a quick search on 'albino deer'.  Low and behold

I was happy to know that I'm not losing my mind {or eye sight}.

 We learn something new each day.

We had no idea albino deer existed let alone on the eastern

shore of Maryland.  Of course, you never have

your camera when you need it but I did find

several photo's of albino deer for you

to see for yourself.

... THE ALBINO DEER ...

 Throughout history people have been fascinated by

 rare sightings of albino whitetail deer. 

In fact, these mystical ghosts of the woods have been 

the center of many ancient Native American legends

 and folklore.  Encounters with solid white deer were even

documented in journal entries by early European explorers

 in the big woods country of present day Wisconsin.

The natural intrigue with white deer can probably be best explained

by their unusual appearance that catches both the eye and our imagination.

 According to biologists, the recessive gene that

causes albinism in whitetail deer is very uncommon.

The chances of an albino deer being born

 are only 1 in 30,000.  In addition, the solid white coats of the deer

 make them more susceptible to attack from predators,

which dramatically decrease the overall survival 

rate of these special whitetails. 

With that being said, very few people will ever

 have the opportunity to catch a mere glimpse 

of these white ghosts. However, there is a unique place in

 Wisconsin called Boulder Junction that is home 

to an unbelievable number of wild albino deer.

Albino deer.  Every deer hunter has heard of one or

 at least thought about seeing one, but what’s 

the deal with albino white-tailed deer? Among the questions

 most often asked is “what causes some whitetail

 deer to be albinos?” Well, although albino deer a 

rare for the most part, albinism is not.

Albinism is a recessive trait found in many

 animals including mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and even plants!

 Albino animals do not have the gene for normal 

coloration and do not produce the enzyme 

responsible for skin, hair, and tissue coloration. 

The result of this genetic oddity is the total absence of body pigment.

In addition to the lack of body pigment, the eyes of an 

albino are pink because blood vessels behind the

 lenses show through the unpigmented irises. 

As you can guess, albinism is not a great trait for an animal, 

either predator or prey, unless they live in area with constant snow cover.

Obviously, being totally white year-round makes 

concealment in most deer habitat difficult. 

To make matters worse, many albinos in general 

have poor eyesight. Perhaps that is why albino 

deer are rare: lack of camouflage increases 

deer predator attacks, poor eyesight, and a recessive,

 rare gene.  A gene will usually only be passed on through a

 population if the traits that those genes control 

are beneficial to an animal.

When carriers of albinism breed there is a one-in-four 

chance they will produce an albino fawn.

However, not all white deer are true albinos. 

Some white whitetails have normally pigmented noses, 

eyes and hooves. In that instance, it would only be a genetic 

mutation for hair color but not other pigments.