Claude (alligator)

Claude

Claude in his swamp at the California Academy of Sciences
Species Alligator mississippiensis
Sex Male
Born (1995-09-15) 15 September 1995
Florida
Occupation Exhibit
Owner California Academy of Sciences
Weight 222 pounds (101 kg)

Claude is an albino alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) at the California Academy of Sciences. Claude lacks the pigment melanin, which results in his skin color. He also has poor eye-sight due to his albinism.[1]

Background

Claude was born on 15 September 1995 in Florida weighing 2 ounces (57 g).[1] He weighs 222 pounds (101 kg) and is 9 feet 5 inches (2.87 m) long.[2] He has 76 teeth.[1]

He was in danger in the wilderness due to albinism which did not allow him to camouflage into his surroundings like the other alligators. There are only a couple dozen albino alligators in the world, all in captivity.[3] Claude was taken to the California Academy of Sciences in 2008.[1] Claude's toe was amputated after developing an infection from being bitten by another alligator.[4]

Color

Claude appears completely white because he lacks the pigment melanin. This is due to destruction of pigment-forming cells known as melanocytes.[5]

Claude is referenced in an episode of We Bare Bears where Chloe and Ice Bear try to see an albino alligator at a museum in San Francisco.[6]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claude (alligator).
  1. 1 2 3 4 Guthrie, Julian (14 September 2010). "Albino alligator Claude to mark 15th birthday". SFGate. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  2. ↑ "Famous gator gets a check-up". 10 June 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  3. ↑ "Albino alligator Claude to mark 15th birthday". SF gate. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  4. ↑ Rubenstein, Steve (9 February 2015). "Tough times for koi continue as S.F. aquarium looks to sever ties". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Swamp". California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Lauren Sassen and Madeline Sharafian (6 November 2015). "Chloe and Ice Bear". We Bare Bears. Cartoon Network.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.