T.E.R:R.A.I.N - Taranaki Educational Resource: Research, Analysis and Information Network


Hedgehog (Albino)(Erinaceus europaeus)

Kingdom: Animalia 
Phylum: Chordata 
Class: Mammalia 
Order: Erinaceomorpha 
Family: Erinaceidae 
Subfamily: Erinaceinae 
Genus: Erinaceus 
Scientific name: Erinaceus europaeus 
Common name: Albino Hedgehog

Below are photos of a rare albino hedgehog,  It is thought there might be one albino to every 100,000.

The eyes of an albino animal appear red because the colour of the red blood cells in the underlying retinal blood vessels shows through where there is no pigment to obscure it.

 

 

Albinism (from Latin albus, "white"; see extended etymology, also called achromia, achromasia, or achromatosis) is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin. Albinism results from inheritance of recessive gene alleles and is known to affect all vertebrates, including humans. The most common term used for an organism affected by albinism is "albino"

 









Albino and brown hedgehogs