question: Why are Albino animals said to live such short lives?
comment: It's usually a huge disadvantage to be albino, even in people, like in some places in Africa they kill albinos bc they think theyre magic, but in animals it's because they end up as food because they can't camoflauge or they starve for the same reason
passages: The novelty of albino animals has occasionally led to their protection by groups such as the Albino Squirrel Preservation Society. They have also been protected in studies on their ecology and behaviour.
  
  Section::::Consequences.:Reduced viability.
  
  Studies on medaka fish in the laboratory, i.e. with no predators, sufficient food supply, controlled temperatures, etc., found that albinos had considerably reduced viability; from 800 albino embryos, only 29 survived to full adulthood. Early studies on fish led some researchers to describe albinism as a "semi-lethal mutation".
  
  Section::::Consequences.:Hearing disorders.
   Many individual albino mammals are in captivity and were caught as youngsters. It is doubtful whether these individuals would have survived to become adults without the protection and care they receive in captivity.
  
  Section::::In mammals.:Naturally occurring.
   In all albino mammals studied, the centre of the retina is under-developed and there is a deficit of rod cells; the central ganglion cell density is approximately 25% below normal (except for the gray squirrel). In nearly all mammals, the overwhelming majority of photoreceptors are rods rather than cones. Albinism specifically affects the rod cells, but the number and distribution of the cones is unaffected. In contrast, the retina of birds is cone rich meaning that the vision of albino birds is affected less than albino mammals.
  
  Section::::Consequences.:Reduced protection from sunlight.
   Section::::In lifespan research.
  
  Some strains have a lifespan as short as several months and can thus serve as a model for biogerontological studies. The African turquoise killifish ("Nothobranchius furzeri") is the shortest-living vertebrate that can be bred in captivity, having a lifespan of between three and nine months. Sexual maturation occurs within 3–4 weeks, with fecundity peaking in 8–10 weeks.
   The incidence of albinism in frogs, salamanders, and newts is relatively higher than other taxa. It has been estimated that one in four hundred of these animals is albino. When albino tadpoles hatch, they are almost transparent. This may help camouflage them initially, however, after two weeks, when their hind legs begin to emerge, they become milky white. A survey in 2001 found hundreds of tiny albino plains leopard frogs, but when the researcher returned a few months later, not a single albino adult could be found.
   Alba's lifespan is an open question. In 2002, a US reporter called INRA (France), where Houdebine works, and was told that Alba had died. The reporter published an article stating that Alba was dead but the only evidence she provided was to quote Houdebine as saying: "I was informed one day that bunny was dead without any reason. So, rabbits die often. It was about 4 years old, which is a normal lifespan in our facilities." 
   It has been claimed that "Squirrels are the only known albino mammal to survive successfully in the wild". In all albino mammals studied, the eye color is green, blue or red due to absence of eumelanin in the iris, and the centre of the retina is under-developed with a deficit of rod cells; the central ganglion cell density is approximately 25% below normal. In nearly all mammals, the overwhelming majority of photoreceptors are rods rather than cones. Albinism specifically affects the rod cells, but the number and distribution of the cones is unaffected. The retina of the squirrel ("Sciurus carolinensis") is unusual for mammals as it is rich in cones. Central cell densities are less than 5% lower in albino squirrels than in pigmented individuals. This relatively minor disruption to vision is thought to assist in the survivability of albino squirrels in the wild. This is supported by observations that the behaviour of albinos in the wild, e.g. leaping from branch to branch, is similar to pigmented squirrels.
   Many animals with albinism lack their protective camouflage and are therefore less able to conceal themselves from their predators or prey: The survival rate of animals with albinism in the wild can be low, however, it has been stated that in studies where animals had many places to hide, predators captured albino and normally coloured animals at the same rate. Furthermore, albino animals may be excluded from families or other groups, or rejected as mates.
   A report published in 2008 stated that in marine mammals, "anomalously white" individuals have been reported for 21 cetacean species and 7 pinniped species but there were no known reports of anomalously white sea otters ("Enhydra lutris") or sirenians.
  
  Whales and dolphins also may appear white if extensively scarred, or covered with a fungus, such as Lobo's disease (also known as "lobomycosis").
  
  Section::::In mammals.:Famous albino mammals.
   Some specialized forms live in temporary ponds and flood plains, and typically have a much shorter lifespan. Such species, known as "annuals", live no longer than nine months, and are used as models for studies on aging. Examples include the African genus "Nothobranchius" and South American genera ranging from the cold water "Austrolebias" of Argentina and Uruguay to the more tropical "Gnatholebias", "Pterolebias", "Simpsonichthys" and "Terranatos".
  
  Section::::Territorial behavior.
   A 2012 survey of the literature reported that in India, there were several records of albino mammals including the tiger, lesser mouse-tailed bat, chital, common palm civet, Northern palm squirrel, five-striped palm squirrel and wild boar.
  
  Albino macaques have been reported in several occasions including a toque macaque ("M. sinica"), rhesus macaque ("M. mulatta"), and bonnet macaque ("M. radiata").
   Like most octopus species, LPSO goes through a stage of senescence, which marks the approach of death. Senescence in LPSO has been observed to be longer for females and shorter for males. After the first signs of senescence, males will typically last 1 to 2 weeks before death, while females will typically last between 2 and 4 months.
   Though not much is known about their aging process it is presumed that they age at the same rate of a human and their life expectancy is around one hundred years.
  
  Section::::Elomin.
   Section::::Life-cycle and growth.:Life span.
  
  In the wild, "Peltodoris" exhibits an annual life-cycle, but have been observed to live up to 15 months in the laboratory. They generally die a few weeks after reproduction. 
  
  Section::::Diet.
   In European Salamandridae, albinism has been recorded in the fire salamander ("Salamandra salamandra"), gold-striped salamander ("Chioglossa lusitanica"), Italian crested newt ("Triturus carnifex"), marbled newt ("Triturus marmoratus"), Iberian ribbed newt ("Pleurodeles waltl"), alpine newt ("Ichthyosaura alpestris") and two sub-species of the smooth newt ("Lissotriton vulgaris vulgaris" and "Lissotriton vulgaris meridionalis").
  
  Section::::In invertebrates.
   Foals which are homozygous for frame and thus have lethal white syndrome (LWS) are not albinos. Albinism does not exist in horses. LWS foals are born almost or completely white with pink skin, but have blue eyes, not red ones. The lethal trait is that the nerves of the foal's digestive system are undeveloped and the bowel cannot move food along. All lethal white foals die within 72 hours after birth, and are typically euthanized sooner for humane reasons. A horse can be a carrier of the trait when it carries only one copy of the gene, (that is, heterozygous) and carriers are healthy and show no clinical signs of lethal white syndrome.
   The lack of clarity about the term is furthered when the name of an animal includes the term "albino" although the animals (clearly) do not have the condition. For example, the albino gaur has this name because it is ash-grey whereas other gaur are almost black.
   Section::::Work.:Recent studies.
  
  Provencio's research team has found that in albino mice, the amount of melanopsin protein in various retinal cells varies based on the environmental light conditions. In constant light conditions, melanopsin cell number did not increase. However, when these constant-light mice were exposed to light-dark schedules, there was regain of melanopsin cell number. This study shows that bouts of darkness or the order of light and dark periods may control the normal development of the melanopsin system.
   BULLET::::- Tuataras (a New Zealand reptile species, 100–200+ years)
  
  BULLET::::- Eels, the so-called Brantevik Eel (Swedish: Branteviksålen) is thought to have lived in a water well in southern Sweden since 1859, which makes it over 150 years old. It was reported that it had died in August 2014 at an age of 155.
   BULLET::::- for Brown rat, 3.8
  
  BULLET::::- for dogs, 29 (See List of oldest dogs)
  
  BULLET::::- for cats, 38 (See List of oldest cats)
  
  BULLET::::- for polar bears, 42 (Debby)
  
  BULLET::::- for horses, 62
  
  BULLET::::- for Asian elephants, 86
  
  The longest-lived vertebrates have been variously described as
  
  BULLET::::- Large parrots (macaws and cockatoos can live up to 80–100 years in captivity)
  
  BULLET::::- Koi (a Japanese species of fish, allegedly living up to 200 years, though generally not exceeding 50 – a specimen named Hanako was reportedly 226 years old upon her death)
  
  BULLET::::- Tortoises (Galápagos tortoise) (190 years)
   In research mammals, such as mice, albinism is more strictly defined. Albino mice occur due to a recessive mutation of the "C" gene. No such mutation exists in horses. Albino mice lack pigment, but "...the inability of albino animals to produce pigment stems not from an absence of melanocytes...but from a deficiency and/or alteration of the structure of tyrosinase in melanocytes which are otherwise normal." This definition of albinism in mice - the inability to make tyrosinase - is extended to other mammals.
   Section::::In fish.:Naturally occurring.:In Sarcopterygii.
  
  Albinism in the African lungfish has been reported on at least two occasions.
  
  Section::::In reptiles.
  
  Many reptiles labeled as albino are, in fact, not completely lacking in all colour pigments. They are actually amelanistic, not albino. Reptiles often possess at least two pigments. Among the most common are xanthin (yellow) and etherin (red). An amelanistic reptile therefore, may still have pale yellow, orange, or red pigmentation.
   BULLET::::- "Whiteface," a condition that affects some parrot species, is caused by a lack of psittacins.
  
  BULLET::::- Axanthism is a condition common in reptiles and amphibians, in which xanthophore metabolism is affected rather than synthesis of melanin, resulting in reduction or absence of red and yellow pteridine pigments.
  
  BULLET::::- Leucism differs from albinism in that the melanin is, at least, partially absent but the eyes retain their usual color. Some leucistic animals are white or pale because of chromatophore (pigment cell) defects, and do not lack melanin.
   Famous albino mammals include "Migaloo", a humpback whale living off the coast of Australia; Pinky, a bottlenose dolphin living in and around in Calcasieu Lake, Louisiana; "Carolina Snowball", a popular albino bottlenose dolphin displayed at the Miami Seaquarium in the early 1960s; "Snowflake", a Barcelona Zoo gorilla, and "Mahpiya Ska", (Sioux for "White Cloud"), a buffalo in Jamestown, North Dakota. The inspiration for Herman Melville's novel "Moby-Dick" was a sperm whale known as Mocha Dick.
  
  Section::::In birds.
   The best-known type of albinism is OCA1A, which impairs tyrosinase production. In other mammals, the diagnosis of albinism is based on the impairment of tyrosinase production through defects in the "Color" ("C") gene. Mice and other mammals without tyrosinase have unpigmented pink skin, unpigmented white hair, unpigmented reddish eyes, and some form of vision impairment. No mutations of the tyrosinase or "C" gene are known in horses.
  