Albino Animals Are a Stunning Oddity of Nature

Albino animals are an odd freak of nature, appearing ghost-like in their all-white form contrary to the color of most of their fellow species. Yet, they can be quite beautiful in their plainness.

Some 300 species of animals in North America have these rare albino individuals that appear white because of a congenital absence of any pigmentation or coloration, resulting in white hair and pink or blue eyes in mammals.

In some cases, unusually white creatures are actually leucistic animals—those that feature a partial loss of pigmentation that doesn’t affect the eye color.

To read more on this story, click here: Albino Animals Are a Stunning Oddity of Nature


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Over 300 Wild Reindeer Have Been Killed by Lightning in Southern Norway

More than 300 wild reindeer have been killed by lightning in southern Norway, officials said Monday, in the largest such incident known to date.

The 323 reindeer, including 70 young, were found on Friday by a gamekeeper on the Hardangervidda plateau, a national park where Europe's largest herd of some 10,000 wild reindeer roam freely.

Television footage showed the animals' dead bodies lying close together on the ground.

"There were very strong storms in the area on Friday. The animals stay close together in bad weather and these ones were hit by lightning," an official from the Norwegian Environment Agency, Kjartan Knutsen, told AFP.

Reindeer are social creatures and usually move in packs.

"It's unusual. We've never seen anything like this on this scale," Knutsen said.

Norwegian authorities have yet to decide what to do with the animals.

"We're going to decide soon whether to let nature run its own course or whether we will do something," he said.

Of the 323 reindeer killed, five had to be put down due to their injuries.

Thee are some 25,000 wild tundra reindeer in Norway, located in the southern mountain ranges, according to experts.

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Reindeer Climbs Stairs to Greet Care Home Residents

Cupid the stair-climbing reindeer has visited a care home in Wiltshire - both upstairs and down - to greet its residents and spread Christmas cheer.

Accompanied by mate Comet, the pair were taken around the Brookside Care Home in Melksham.

To see the video, click here: Reindeer Climbs Stairs to Greet Care Home Residents

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