A rare piebald deer, also known as a leucistic deer, has recently been spotted in southern Maine. Retired Maine photojournalist Kevyn Fowler shared the video of the deer. Some piebald deer have only a few outward signs of this condition, such as small patches of white hair. Some may be white, like those seen by Fowler. The mutation causes the irregular patches to lack the special pigment cells that give deer hair its color. Even the skin under the white hair has no color. This is different from albinism, where the animal has pigment cells, but due to a missing gene these cells fail to produce color, so the entire animal is white. Although albino deer have pink eyes due to a complete lack of pigment, the eyes of piebald deer are normal in color. Fowler said he also saw a piebald deer in Eastport last fall. The genes that cause these coat color changes also control other physical characteristics, and some piebald deer are born with skeletal defects ranging from mild to severe. A deer born with mild symptoms of this rare condition usually lives a normal life. Some may be white with visible problems such as dwarfism or arched spines. Piebaldism is an extreme form of genetics and both parents must carry the intact gene to have a chance of developing piebald. Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study. In one population, the spread reached about 2 percent after temporary hunting bans.” Across the whitetail range, about 1 in 1,000 are piebald, an estimated 1 in 30,000 may be albino, and even fewer are melanist.
A rare piebald deer, also known as a leucistic deer, has recently been spotted in southern Maine.
Retired Maine photojournalist Kevyn Fowler shared the video of the deer.
Piebaldism is a rare genetic condition that produces small to large patches of white hair randomly mixed with the normal brown hair color. Some piebald deer have only a few outward signs of this condition, such as small patches of white hair. Some may be white, like those seen by Fowler.
This change causes irregular patches of skin to lack the special pigment cells that give deer hair its color. Even the skin under the white hair has no color. This is different from albinism, where the animal has pigment cells, but due to a missing gene these cells fail to produce color, so the entire animal is white. Although albino deer have pink eyes due to a complete lack of color, the eyes of piebald deer are normal in color.
Fowler said he also saw a piebald deer in Eastport last fall.
Some of the genes that cause these coat color changes also control other physical characteristics, and some piebald deer are born with skeletal defects ranging from mild to severe. A deer born with mild symptoms of this rare condition usually lives a normal life. Some may be white with visible problems such as dwarfism or arched spines.
Piebaldism is a genetic mutation and both parents must carry an excess of the gene to have a chance of developing piebald fins.
“Piebaldism is reported to affect less than 1% of white-tailed deer, although this may vary by region due to different hunting restrictions on deer affected by the piebald trait,” said Melanie Kunkel and Dr. Nicole Nemeth in the Southeast Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study report. “In one population, prevalence reached about 2% after temporary hunting bans.”
Across the whitetail species, about one in 1,000 deer is piebald, while an estimated one in 30,000 is albino, and even fewer are melanistic.
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