There are over two dozen porcupine species, and seeing one roaming in the wild isn’t exactly a newsworthy event. However, that quickly changes if what you unexpectedly encounter on a routine drive is an albino porcupine.
Spotting this kind of extraordinary animal is precisely what happened to Emerice Hallock and her brother when they were driving in Alberta, Canada.
While driving down a remote highway, Hallock noticed a white figure on the grass beside the road.
Although the figure caught her eye, she thought it was just an odd rock. With this in mind, Hallock continued to drive down the highway.
However, her brother beside her quickly realized it was no ordinary rock.
“He was telling me to turn around. He said he saw an albino porcupine,” she shared with The Dodo. “I was like, yeah okay. [But] he was freaking out, so I turned around.”
When they got out of the car to take a closer look at the figure, they immediately confirmed it was an albino porcupine.
And that is why an ordinary sighting of the prickly animal became newsworthy.
Albinism is the partial or complete lack of melanin in the body, which results in white animals. Take note that not all white animals are albino. Some are just lighter-skinned compared to others of its kind.
There are examples of albinos among all kinds of animals. Here’s an example of an albino kangaroo:
Some animals might just be lighter-skinned than usual. To confirm albinism, the eyes should be pinkish in color.
An albino porcupine is a very rare occurrence, but the prickly animal Hallock and her brother spotted was a true albino.
According to research, only one in 10,000 porcupines is born a true albino.
“It was crazy, honestly. I’ve never seen a porcupine in my life, so seeing an albino one was mind-blowing,” Hallock also shared.
While Hallock and her brother were amazed at their discovery of a white porcupine, the wild animal was unaware of how special he is.
In the video of the porcupine that Hallock took, the porcupine ignored them and continued on with its day.
At the end of the video, the porcupine strolled back into the forest, oblivious that its video was about to be viewed more than 700,000 times.
In nature, albino animals face different challenges due its condition. One of the most common difficulty is poor eyesight, which makes it hard for them to hunt for food and avoid predators.
Fortunately, this albino porcupine looked carefree and well as it walked on the forest floor. There was no sign of any negative effects from being an albino.
“He looked good!” Hallock commented about the porcupine.
Hallock and her brother witnessed something special seeing: a rare albino porcupine in its natural habitat. Fortunately, they shared their experience with the world and we all got to be part of this extraordinary sighting.
Seeing an albino porcupine is not something you see every day, and these siblings were lucky enough to see one.
“It will definitely be something I remember,” Hallock said. We’re sure everyone who saw her photos and videos will remember this unique animal too.
Watch the video below to see this extraordinary animal.
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