First orange alligator spotted
By Cindy Steinle · January 11, 2011 3:20 pm
A Venice, FL grandmother has spotted and photographed the first known orange alligator.
From Treehugger.com:
She was returning from work on Thursday when she drove by the gator and promptly had to back up for a double-take. Luckily, Sylvia wasn't frightened enough to miss out on a great photo opportunity. "I thought this is great...I'm going to snap a picture and send it to my grandkids so they think I'm one of the coolest grandmas in Florida," she said. .... After sending the picture to her local news station she also contacted a biologist who believes the gator is really just half-albino. That said, he says he has never seen or heard of one. But Gary Morse from Florida Fish and Wildlife feels the orange color might be from some environmental element. Regardless, the University of Florida Gators might have a new mascot.Reptile genetics are a fun thing -- only imagine what this would make in a breeding program.
