Rare white albino tadpoles discovered in Wales

Albinos have inherited altered genes that do not produce the usual amounts of the pigment melanin.

(telegraph) -- Rare albino tadpoles have been found in a garden pond in Wales.

The tadpoles have the distinctive pink eyes and off-white skin colouration associated with albinism.

Although isolated single examples of albino frogs, toads and newts have been seen before this is the first time a whole group has been found.

The exact location of the pond in Carmarthenshire is being kept secret while biologists carry out more research.

Jules Howard of Froglife, the UK wildlife charity which works for the conservation of amphibians and reptiles, said: "Sightings of albino frogs are rare so to find so many tadpoles together is exceptionally rare. It seems that the albino tadpoles are already changing colour and becoming darker so we are going to have to study their metamorphosis into frogs very carefully." full story