Leucistic American Alligator Hatchlings in Coastal South Carolina

Thomas R. Rainwater^1,*, Jane Griess², Thomas M. Murphy³, Shane M. Boylan⁴, Benjamin B. Parrott⁵, Satomi Kohno⁶, Katherine A.E. Rainwater⁷, Sean M. Richards⁸, Matthew Guillette⁹,Tony Mills³, Steven G. Platt¹⁰, Philip M. Wilkinson¹¹, and Louis J. Guillette Jr.^9,12

¹Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center and Belle W. Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, Clemson University, PO Box 596, Georgetown, SC 29440. ²US Fish and Wildlife Service, Savannah Coastal Refuges Complex, 694 Beech Hill Lane, Hardeeville, SC 29927. ³Spring Island Trust, 40 Mobley Oaks, Lane, Okatie SC 29909. ⁴South Carolina Aquarium, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, SC 29401. ⁵University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Jackson, SC 29831. ⁶Department of Biology, St. Cloud State University, 720 4th Avenue South, St. Cloud, MN 56301. ⁷Exotic Vet Care, 814 Johnnie Dodds Boulevard, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464. ⁸Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 615 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga, TN 37403. ⁹Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of South Carolina, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Ft. Johnson Road, Charleston, SC 29412. ¹⁰Wildlife Conservation Society–Myanmar Program, No. 100, Yadanar Street, Kamayut Township, Yangon, Myanmar. ¹¹Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center, 407 Meeting Street, Georgetown, SC 29440. ¹²Deceased. *Corresponding author.

Southeastern Naturalist,Volume 19, Issue 4 (2020): N62–N72

Abstract
Leucism (white skin, dark eyes) is a rare color disorder occurring in a range of invertebrates and vertebrates, and as a result, relatively few reports exist of leucistic individuals in the wild. In March 2014, we found 6 leucistic Alligator mississippiensis (American Alligator) hatchlings in coastal South Carolina. All individuals were basking under cool, cloudy conditions within ~15 m of the den, appeared moderately emaciated, and were somewhat lethargic upon capture. The animals were removed from the field and treated for malnutrition under veterinary supervision. Three Alligators died within 6 days of collection, and the remaining 3 individuals were transferred to different institutions for long-term care and display. These animals also eventually died after surviving in captivity for ~4.5–45 months. Leucistic Alligators are known to suffer from a variety of health problems, and the mortalities and associated causes of death in the animals we describe here were consistent with previous reports of other leucistic Alligators. The incidence of leucism among wild crocodilians is very low, and disease, increased susceptibility to predation, and collection by humans further exacerbate its rarity.

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