A rare Pearl beats the crocodile odds

AS RARE as the gemstone it was named after, a mostly pigment-free saltwater crocodile named Pearl has been described as ''doubly lucky'' for having survived at all.

The male Leucistic crocodile was born at Crocodylus Park in Darwin in February with a birth defect that is fatal for most hatchlings.

The park's chief scientist, Charlie Manolis, said the crocodile, which unlike an albino, has some pigment, mostly visible in its black spots, was hatched with yolk hanging out of its egg.

''Normally hatchlings like that would be euthanised, as they are prone to infection,'' Mr Manolis said. ''He's doubly lucky: lucky to have this sort of rare colouration, as maybe one in 20,000 crocodiles are born with it and lucky to have survived, too.

''My staff members noticed his colouring and one of them took him home. It was such a cute crocodile that the girl initially looking after it assumed it was a female and the name has stuck.''