Viral photos: Rare white baby sea turtle discovered on a South Carolina beach was born with a genetic disorder that causes pigment reduction

The discovery of a rare white baby turtle on a South Carolina beach has surprised the world beyond imagination. The white turtle hatchling was spotted by a bunch of beach volunteers while they were checking for sea turtle nests.  Soon after the images of the cute turtle were shared on the social media websites, they went viral.

The discovery of a rare white baby turtle on a South Carolina beach has surprised the world beyond imagination. The white turtle hatchling was spotted by a bunch of beach volunteers while they were checking for sea turtle nests. Soon after the images of the cute turtle were shared on the social media websites, they went viral.

As per Facebook page post from the Town of Kiawah Island SC, the mystery behind baby turtle’s white colour is a genetic condition called leucism. This causes reduced pigmentation in Animals which is because the turtle is pure white.

The discovery has left volunteers quite excited. “You can imagine the excited ‘oohs’ and the ‘aah’s’ from the guests, including some College of Charleston students, when the patroller found a lone, leucistic hatchling in the nest,” reads the town’s FB page.

Sharing pictures of the white baby turtle, the FB post further explained, “Leucism is a condition where animals have reduced pigmentation. Leucism is different from albinism as albino animals have a complete loss of pigment, leaving them completely white with red or pink eyes.”

The FB post has gone viral and has been shared more than 500 times in just three days. People have gone crazy since then and have been thanking the volunteers for sharing the “fascinating” and “great photos”.

Apparently, animals suffering from leucism or albinism have issues surviving in the wild. Because of their different colour, these animals become more visible to predators.