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"Mardi the White Alligator"
by Palm Beach Zoo
Due to popular demand, Mardi the white alligator will be staying at the Palm Beach Zoo through the end of October. Mardi, who has been at the Zoo since June, has been a great hit with visitors and the Zoo is pleased to host him for an additional month. Mardi, who is already in a perfect “white chocolate” costume, is all ready for “Boo at the Zoo”, the popular Halloween celebration which takes place October 26 - 28. Mardi was brought to
All known white alligators are male. Eastern mythology holds the white beasts to be symbols of extraordinary good luck. No one knows for certain why these alligators were born white. In fact they are not, as most people assume, albinos. Their eyes are brilliantly blue rather than the characteristic red of albino animals. Since their lack of skin pigmentation deprives them of natural camouflage, their ability to survive in the wild is severely limited. One theory is that many white alligators may have been born throughout the centuries but were too vulnerable to enemies within their environment, and to the sun, to survive.
The white alligators that are now exhibited in zoos and aquariums throughout the country were rescued by workers from The Louisiana Land and Exploration Company who spotted the unusual babies minutes after they hatched and brought them to be raised at the Aquarium of the
The Palm Beach Zoo is a non profit zoological organization located at
Palm Beach Zoo is located at
