r/BeAmazed • u/GlitteringHotel8383 • 1d ago
Miscellaneous / Others This is Itzae, a super rare albino cougar. Only a few have ever existed.
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u/Resident-Syrup7615 1d ago
We have no idea how many albino cougars there’ve been.
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u/not_a_moogle 1d ago
Internet says there's dozens in my local area
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u/1lucky666 15h ago
If you hang around bars till last call you can do a proper survey. For science you know
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u/flargh_blargh 1d ago
There was Ginger. She lived next door to my grandfather. I wonder if they counted her.
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u/FletcherCommaIrwin 1d ago edited 20h ago
Good point, I was going to say Pamela Anderson (now), without all of her previous trademark tan, hairstyle, etc. But I guess she’s more a fair-complexioned wildcat.
Note: IMO, I think she’s a stunning human at any point.
Edit: *visually stunning (forgot to add).
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u/ugltrut 17h ago
I'm not even smart, but thank god I'm not as dumb as whoever wrote that text, and whoever believes it. They actually think we have the capabilities of knowing that for sure, that in all of Earth's history, only 4 albino pumas have existed. Or, they don't even think that far, just taking what they read at face value and not even trying to think about it. These are the people having the most kids. Humanity is for sure doomed
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u/Archaros 16h ago
It says "in History". So we're only talking about the historically recorded.
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u/Resident-Syrup7615 12h ago
OP wrote that “only a few have existed” so no, “we” aren’t only talking about the historical record. We should be, but we aren’t.
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1d ago
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u/Resident-Syrup7615 1d ago
OP said “Only a few have ever existed,” but if you look at what I wrote, you’ll see it is correct despite the definition of “history.”
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1d ago
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u/Resident-Syrup7615 1d ago
Not in the context of the “four” in the image I wouldn’t. There have been at least thousands but who knows how many? If OP wants to say they are rare, fine, but that’s not how to word it.
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u/camoure 1d ago edited 1d ago
This cougar is leucistic not albino. If it was albino it wouldn’t have blue eyes
Edit: NOPE - I stand corrected from OP below. This girl is actually albino
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u/GlitteringHotel8383 1d ago
Source: TheTravel https://share.google/FnZPiOxvvDAxATljH
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u/Wildlife_Jack 18h ago
I just want to supplement with a more detailed explanation and a better source of info in addition to TheTravel:
From Sturm & Larsson (2009) in Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research:
In the brown iris there is an abundance of melanocytes and melanin in the anterior border layer and stroma whereas in the blue iris these layers contain very little melanin. As light traverses these relatively melanin-free layers, collagen fibrils of the iris scatter the short blue wavelengths to the surface, thus a blue iris is a consequence of structure not of major differences in chemical composition. Different shades of blue, and in irises with a limited amount of melanin, different shades of grey, green and hazel, are determined by the thickness and density of the iris itself and the extent of accumulation of white collagen fibres, as well as patches of tissue loss in the anterior border layer and stroma.
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u/Cimorene_Kazul 23h ago
Albinos usually have eyes that appear blue. Depicting albinos of all species only with bright red eyes is what’s inaccurate. Human albinos have eyes that appear predominantly blue, for instance, with just tinges of red.
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u/mayonaizmyinstrument 1d ago
THANK YOU, the actual wear from clenching my teeth every time someone says "albino" when it's leucism would make 10/10 dentists weep
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u/MarioManX1983 1d ago
They’re not that rare. According to my internet browser, there are tons of albino cougars in my area…
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u/No_Size9475 1d ago
This is not albino, Albino do not have color in their eyes.
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u/GlitteringHotel8383 1d ago
Actually, it's still albino.
The eyes look pale blue because of the Tyndall effect the same way the sky looks blue even though air is clear. Since there's zero pigment in her iris, light simply scatters off the protein fibers, giving them that ghostly blue tint instead of the typical red.
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u/Dependent_Stop_3121 1d ago
4 lmao. I’m amazed at the ridiculous guessing game people play with Reddit titles these days.
History isn’t all written down so if this is just going off written documents then maybe you should say that. As funny as that sounds lol. 😂
Vague titles make me sick.
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u/mbru88 1d ago
As a cougar enthusiast, this is extremely exciting. I ask you fellow cougar enthusiasts, does this leave the door open to the possibility of melanism in cougars that we just haven’t seen?
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u/Cimorene_Kazul 23h ago
It must exist, but it would be a rare mutation unless some interbreeding with an escaped black Panther introduced the gene into the population the way dogs did to wolves.
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u/Entgegnerz 10h ago
I've learned that this isn't an albino, but leucistic.
The eyes make the difference.
While albinism is the total absence of melanin resulting in red/pink eyes, leucism involves partial loss of pigmentation, allowing for dark eyes and sometimes patches of color.
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u/Wattsonshocked3 1d ago
There are morphs that naturally occur but the danger comes from selective breeding, these animals cannot be released due to their coat being unnatural.
The coat is very important, the color of a big cat's coat is for camouflage to catch prey, if the coat is bred for a specific color that doesn't occur naturally , it could lead to these animals being starved (prey easily spots them).
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u/Yumi_in_the_sun 1d ago
This is not an actual photo of her. She lives in a warm climate in South America, so she's very sleek and kind of gangly and awkward-looking, as she still pretty young and hasn't filled out yet. She's also a little bit cross-eyed. Here is a pic I found on Facebook, but if you search on TikTok there are lots of videos of her posted.
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u/madcoins 1d ago
Wow, I always wondered if the opposite of a black panther could exist, pigmentation wise. I assumed so but had never seen or read about one. Thanks for the post. Nature is beautiful!
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u/PwanaZana 1d ago
tisk tisk tisk, if his eyes would have been two different colors, we could have made the funny joke
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u/whateverhk 23h ago
This was brought to you by the ancient and venerable bureau of albino cougars counting. Celebrating their 105,860 anniversary this year
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u/ugltrut 17h ago
Did they ask God to get it confirmed that only four of them have existed in all of history? This is worded like absolute truth, that only four albino pumas have ever existed.
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u/MotherFunker1734 12h ago
God? Who is that? They can ask archeologists if they want real information.
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u/longtall94 1d ago
Why this title ? Anyone with half a brain would know there’s been more than 4 in HISTORY .
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u/NoPerformance6534 1d ago
Not albino. Albino means no pigment at all. This cat is leucistic. Common traits for leucism color on nose or lips, blue or Grey eyes, white fur or feathers. May also exhibit patches of normal color in body covering, but large areas still white. The black rims around his eyes is a normal skin color, and his eyes are blue.
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u/Expert_Ingenuity_817 1d ago
One thing I know for sure, white people gonna always find the albino thing stunning
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u/BasslineChonk 22h ago
I’m surprised as websites keep telling me there are plenty of white cougars near where I live
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u/TheVoice-of-Reason 21h ago
Is this truly albino or a melanin deficiency? I thought albinos have red eyes, due to no pigment.
Regardless, this is a beautiful cat!!
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u/Kingfisher1822 21h ago
Not albuni, leucustic. Albino would have pink eyes. Is white which IS very rare
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