Rare White Sea Lion Spotted in South Atlantic

Photographers visiting the beach in Fortuna Bay on South Georgia Island were surprised when they encountered a family of sea lions. One of the pups was nearly wholly white! Not to be confused with the white harp seal, the unusual coloration of this particular animal is caused by a condition called leucism. This means the animal lacks the pigment melanin needed to turn its fur brown. This differs from albinism, which is an absence of several pigments. Notice the color of the eyes. A true albino would have pink or red eyes.

A simple twist of genetics, leucism has no adverse side effects, though this rare white sea lion will undoubtedly stand out in a crowd. His brothers and sisters certainly don’t notice the difference as they play on the beach.