Some Rare Albino Turtles Discovered in Mexico and Spain

Some rare albino turtles were separately discovered in Mexico and Spain this weekend.

Out of the 109 turtles born in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur in Mexico on Sunday, two among the newborns stood out.

Albino Turtles in Mexico

According to Mexico News Daily, the two turtles surprised Carlos Villalobos, head of the Network to Protect Sea Turtles in Los Cabos, because of their rarity. The two turtles stood out among the more than 100 baby turtles since they were albinos.

"They are a rarity among their sisters," Carlos said. Graciela Tiburcio, another member of the Network to Protect Sea Turtles in Los Cabos, said the two albino turtles were healthy.

Tiburcio added that they were released into the ocean together with the other hatchlings. According to Tiburcio, the two albino turtles were not as miraculous as they might appear.

"Albinism is not uncommon in the animal kingdom. In the case of sea turtles, some cases of albinism can be observed during the season during nest cleanings," Tiburcio said.

Tiburcio added that "what makes this case unique and exceptional is that the turtles appear to be in perfect health."

Albino Turtle in Spain

Local police received a report over the weekend regarding the discovery of a small white turtle in Tarragona in northeastern Spain's Catalonia region.

According to Euro Weekly News, a resident contacted the local police to report about an albino turtle in Terra Alta. It turned out the creature was, in fact, a rare specimen of Spanish pond turtle (mauremys leprosa). Also known as the Mediterranean pond turtle, these indigenous species are in danger of extinction.

The recent find in Spain was considered exceptional because it was an albino leprous turtle, one of the native semi-aquatic tortoise species of the Iberian Peninsula, that lacked any skin pigmentation in both the eyes and the skin.

According to local officials, the lack of pigmentation can lead to problems due to a lack of melanin in the body, which protects the body against damage from the sun. The officials pointed out that sometimes there's confusion between albinism with leucism. But leucism only entails a lack of pigmentation in the skin, while albinism only applies to an absence of melanin.

Currently, the species is in danger of extinction due to habitat destruction in Spain. Some residents also capture these kinds of animals to make them their pets. Aside from that, the threat of other non-native species introduced into the peninsula by humans also affected their numbers.

In recent years, work has been done by conservationists to protect sea turtles. They have taken certain measures to protect the animals and among them is by protecting their nests from human disturbance.

Once born, the turtles are released into the sea to promote their reproduction since some of its species were already in danger of extinction.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by: Jess Smith

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