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white tiger posing

Very rarely, the Bengal Tiger produces white specimens. The earliest recordings of sightings of white tigers date from the mid 16th century, but only a dozen sightings have been noted in the last 100 years. The last wild white tiger was sighted in 1951! White tigers are neither a separate sub species nor albino, but instead have reduced pigmentation. White tigers are produced when two carriers of the recessive gene, who may not necessarily be white themselves, breed. This condition is known as leucism.

 

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Uploaded on January 31, 2010
Taken on January 31, 2010