Imagine jogging on a trail in the woods and you see a creature like nothing you've never seen before. That's exactly what happened to Tammy Stevens as she was running on the Bridle Trails in Berea, Ohio. Tammy found an albino raccoon, which is very rare. An estimated 1 in every 10,000-20,000 raccoons is born with albinism.
A genetic mutation causes albino raccoons to lose the traditional black and gray color including the bandit strip across the eyes. This color goes all the way down to their feet. Many people have never spotted one because they are pretty rare. In fact, a raccoon has a 1 in 10,000 chance of being born with albinism and your chance of seeing one is 1 in 750,000 - the same as your odds of being struck by lightning- and they are so rare that most people do not even know they exist. (source)
In fact, many people think that an albino racoon is a possum due to it's appearance. Other than color, albino raccoons are pretty much the same as the typical raccoon. Remember these are wild animals, which means they are likely to carry diseases like rabies that make contact with them dangerous for human beings. Even if you are tempted to, don’t approach or feed albino raccoons.
What do you think about this animal sighting? Have you ever seen an albino raccoon before in the wild?
Share your thoughts in the comments. If you found this post interesting, please share it on social media. Thanks!
Comments / 1