Can deer be...part albino?
 

I was watching some deer behind my grandparents house the other day and I noticed one of the deer had a white spot on his back. Not huge but not small either. Could this deer have some albino genes in him/her?

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

Definitely called a piebald. Piebald deer can be quite common in some areas. I don't know about the inbred part though, but genetics plays the key role in transmission.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

its a pieball

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

I believe the partially white, or if you will patially brown, deer or "piebald" is not the result of the abino defect. My understanding is that albinoism is a biological screw up and it can't be passed on. Also, albinos will be all white with pinkish colored eyes.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

Oh yeah, I kind of forgot about piebald deer. Maybe just because it's only one spot instead of spots all over.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

We saw one in ND while hunting ducks early in Oct 06. It was all white from the base of the neck down. Above that it look like a an average deer.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

A deer cannot be part " albino".
Albinism is totally different than a deer that is piebald.A deer can actually be totally white and still be considered piebald. There are a few other characteristics of a whitetail with albinism other than being totally white.

A "true" albino has absolutley no pigment to his hair, skin or eyes. This means that an albino will have pinkish eyes, greyish nose and his hooves will even be grey also. A piebald will have a black nose, black hooves and brown eyes......no matter how much or how little whiteit has on its body.

Beside the loss of pigment on albinos, albinos also have other characteristics that are not very favorable to their survival like defective eyesight and even hearing problems, and a couple other ailments as well.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

Albinism is a genetic defect and can be passed on. That is why the Seneca White Deer herd exists. If it wasn't a genetic trait capable of being passed down, there is no way anyone could get that many albino deer together in one place if they wanted to!

Also if it wasn't genetic you would almost never see albino fawns with albino does, even though it is fairly common.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

Dischuett, I'm no expert by any means but the seneca white deer are not albinos at all. There are white deer. Thoughalbinoism is a genetic defect I believe it is actually a screw up and not a trait that is passed on. I don't believe there is any higher odds of an albino giving birth to another albino than a normal parent giving birth to an albino in any species. I'm not certain of this but I believe it to be the case.I am certain however that the seneca white deer are not albinos.

White deer or partially white deer are the result of a recessive gene. It is a normal genetic trait and can of course be passed on. That's what the seneca deer are.

RE: Can deer be...part albino?
 

piebald