Who are you calling a white elephant? These amazing pictures of albino animals are not a pigment of your imagination... 

  • All-white creatures are often considered lucky in some world cultures
  • Sadly the rare condition can leave the animals vulnerable to predators  
  • From lemurs to peacocks, the albinos here make a fascinating sight
  • Odd one out is the elephant, whose colouring is down to having a bath 

By Mail on Sunday Reporter

Published: | Updated:

The animal kingdom is usually a riot of colour but if you want to stand out in the crowd, sometimes less is more.

All-white creatures – many of which are albinos – are often considered lucky in some cultures. Sadly for the animals themselves, the opposite is true.

A genetic mutation means they produce no melanin, resulting in little or no colour in the skin and hair, and making them an obvious target for predators.

From lemurs to peacocks, the albinos here make a fascinating sight. The odd one out is the elephant, whose colouring is down to dried white clay following a bath at a watering hole.

Feat of clay: Gazelles keep their distance from this elephant in Namibia whose colour is down to dried white clay because of having a bath at a watering hole 

Feat of clay: Gazelles keep their distance from this elephant in Namibia whose colour is down to dried white clay because of having a bath at a watering hole 

White mischief: This baby nearly all-white ring-tailed lemur looks like a handful for mum - albino animals are often considered lucky in some cultures 

White mischief: This baby nearly all-white ring-tailed lemur looks like a handful for mum - albino animals are often considered lucky in some cultures 

Pure delight: A squirrel in Cheshire would be easy to find for a predator searching from the skies 

Pure delight: A squirrel in Cheshire would be easy to find for a predator searching from the skies 

Bleach boy: - Alf, a four-month old albino wallaby, is seen here at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire

Bleach boy: - Alf, a four-month old albino wallaby, is seen here at Linton Zoo in Cambridgeshire

 Omo the white giraffe stands out grazing in the African bush in the Tarangire National Park, in Tanzania

 Omo the white giraffe stands out grazing in the African bush in the Tarangire National Park, in Tanzania

Snappy looker: A white baby American alligator isn't hard to miss here for animal-lovers 

Snappy looker: A white baby American alligator isn't hard to miss here for animal-lovers 

The incredibly rare white kingfisher bird perched on a leaf at the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda

The incredibly rare white kingfisher bird perched on a leaf at the Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda

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