Rare Albino Mammal Caught on Camera

The spikey echidna has white fur, a pink snout, and pale blue eyes.

What's pink and blue and white all over? If you're one of few who guessed an albino echidna, you'd be right.

Australian photographer Rosalind Wharton captured this rare creature on film when she and her family were exploring Wineglass Bay in Tasmania's Freycinet National Park. Though she's not an echidna expert, Wharton says she has a soft spot for these animals and has found them in the wild before.

Watch this albino echidna search for food in Tasmania, Australia.

It was quite odd," Wharton says. "I've never seen an albino one."


Albino animals lack melanin, a pigment that gives them their natural color. Because dark colors help echidnas camouflage, the albino kinds don't usually survive in the wild because they're easier prey for predators. When faced with danger, echidnas use their short legs to dig holes for protection, or they curl up into spikey balls. Although they move relatively slowly, echidnas are excellent tree climbers and swimmers.

Nicol says the animal Wharton found is a "puggle," the adorable word for a baby echidna. He says it's likely just over a year old. At this age, he adds, it's impossible to tell whether it's a male or a female.

"It would have completed its first hibernation in September and is now trying to build up its fat reserves," Nicol says via email.

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