ORLANDO, Fla. — Gatorland is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year with an expansion of sorts.
- Gatorland opening breeding facility for albino alligators
- Albino gators are extremely sensitive to direct sunlight
- One albino gator called Pearl has been hit on social media
The attraction on South Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando is opening one of the largest breeding facilities for albino alligators in the world.
Because of their white coloration, albino gators are extremely sensitive to direct sunlight. The facility's new White Gator Swamp is designed to provide the reptiles with safe, filtered sunlight in natural exhibits that also house with birds, fish, turtles, and frogs.
"There are lots of albino alligators in the world, but only about 10 of these specific alligators, and they are all males," Gatorland President and CEO Mark McHugh said Friday. "We have got our two males here with two females that carry the gene, so hopefully when they breed with those two females, we have a lot of white alligators running around."
The exhibit features two male leucistic alligators named Feros Zombi and Trezos Je, one male albino gator named Pearl, and two female albino gators named Moonshine and Cottontail.
Pearl, which is 8 feet long and has been at Gatorland since 2008, has become popular on Gatorland's social media accounts.