Should North Carolina Aquarium Name Their Albino Alligator After A Famous Celebrity?
By Amy Kilgore Kure Beach, NC – The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher has a new treasure in its collection. A female albino alligator, currently in Aquarium quarantine, awaits completion of her new home in the Cape Fear Conservatory. A new exhibit, expected to open on May 29, is under development for the alligator. At approximately four years old, the albino alligator is almost five feet long and weighs about 19 pounds. Obtained from St. Augustine Alligator Farm in Florida, this rare alligator originally came from a nest in Louisiana. Eggs are taken from this nest each year – if left in the wild an albino alligator would not survive. This alligator’s parents, known for years by the collector, are not albino but carry the recessive gene for albinism. Albinism occurs in about 25% of alligator hatchlings whose parents carry the gene. Aquarium alligators currently on exhibit originally came from St. Augustine Alligator Farm in 2002. At the time these 6-8’ alligators were only 2’ long.
