A rare white alligator was recently born at Gatorland in Florida, the reptile theme park announced in early December.

Born in August, the young female alligator is “completely white and has beautiful blue eyes”, Gatorland said on social media.

The park’s president and chief executive Mark McHugh said he received a message in August informing him that “there’s a nose sticking out of one of the leucistic eggs and it’s white... I got chill bumps and started crying because we have been trying to get these babies forever”.

Leucism is a rare genetic variation among American alligators. It results in white skin colouration, although the skin can have patches of normal pigmentation.

Leucistic alligators differ from albino alligators, which have a complete lack of pigment in their skin and pinkish eyes. Leucism can also affect animals such as some birds, lions and snakes.

“For the first time since a nest of leucistic alligators was discovered in the swamps of Louisiana 36 years ago, we have the first birth of a solid white alligator ever recorded from those original alligators,” a Gatorland social media post said.

This is “beyond rare” and “absolutely extraordinary”, it added.

The theme park, which is in Orlando, plans to display this reptile and her normal-coloured baby brother to guests in 2024.

“For now, however, we continue to keep them safe where we can closely monitor their health and growth,” added the park, which houses thousands of alligators and crocodiles.  

The two young alligators were born to a white leucistic father and a mother with recessive leucism, meaning that her offspring have a one-in-two chance of being white.

Mr McHugh said there are only seven other known leucistic alligators in the world – from the nest of 18 born in Louisana in 1987 – three of which are at the park.

In comparison, wildlife experts estimate there are about 100 to 200 albino alligators in the world.