‘Exceptionally rare’ albino reptile hatches at Florida park. See the ‘perfect’ baby

A rare albino reptile nosed its way out of an egg and into the world at a wildlife park in Florida.

The baby alligator is the third hatchling of Wild Florida’s albino gator breeding program, the wildlife park and safari announced Aug. 1.

The albino parents, Snowflake and Blizzard, came to central Florida in 2017 from an alligator park in St. Augustine, according to Wild Florida. The pair produced its last hatchling in 2022.

This most recent baby incubated in a climate-controlled room for about 60 days before noisily wriggling out of its egg in the hands of the animal care team, Wild Florida said.

“With the hard work and dedication of our Croc Squad, we worked together to produce one perfect healthy albino alligator hatchling this season,” Andrew Ayala of the Croc Squad said in a news release.

“He’s perfect,” one of the Wild Florida employees said in a video taken during the hatching.

The baby had a pinkish and yellow hue, due to its “exceptionally rare” genetic variation that causes the gator not to produce any melanin, according to Wild Florida.

Very few of these albino creatures survive in the wild because their bright color makes it hard for them to camouflage, according to the Animal World and Snake Farm Zoo.

It’s estimated there are fewer than 200 in the world.

In human care, they also need specialized environments to protect their skin from getting burned by the sun, wildlife experts say.

The Croc Squad expects the baby gator to be on exhibit when it’s about a month old.

Wild Florida is in Kenansville, about a 60-mile drive southeast from Orlando.

This story was originally published August 1, 2024 at 2:33 PM with the headline "‘Exceptionally rare’ albino reptile hatches at Florida park. See the ‘perfect’ baby."