The findings are the first evidence of interbreeding in western lowland gorillas.
ALBINO GORILLA SKIN
Lack of skin pigmentation makes people and animals more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers, which is what killed Snowflake a decade ago. It is caused by a lack of tyrosinase - an enzyme involved in the production of melanin, which is what causes skin colour and an increase in melanin is what causes skin to tan. Snowflake the albino gorilla died of skin cancer in 2003. Lack of skin pigmentation makes people and animals more susceptible to sunburn and skin cancers.
Melanin is what causes skin colour and an increase in melanin is what causes skin to tan.Ī human or animal with complete absence of melanin is called an albino, while someone with only a small amount of melanin is called an albinoid. It is caused by a lack of tyrosinase in their genes - an enzyme involved in the production of melanin. Snowflake inherited this mutation directly from his parents and when the researchers delved further into the DNA of his mother and father they discovered stretches of Snowflake's DNA from both parents were identical.Īlbinism comes from the Latin word albus which means for 'white'.Īlbinism is a is a birth defect that causes humans and animals to be born without colour pigments in their skin, hair and eyes. The scientists isolated Snowflake's albinism to a single gene called SLC45A2. His iconic colouring also put him on the cover of Basement Jaxx's 2001 album, Rooty.īefore he died, a vial of blood was taken and frozen to preserve it and the genome was sequenced in 2012.Īs reported in the journal BMC Genomics, the r esearchers, led by Tomas Marques-Bonet at the University of Pompeu Fabra, in Spain, were then able to take this sequencing and compare it to non-albino gorilla genomes to find the cause of his genetic mutation. He was born in the wild with albinism - a genetic mutation that caused him to lack colour pigments in his skin and hair - but was captured by villagers in Equatorial Guinea in 1966. Snowflake was famous for being the only known albino gorilla in the world.Ī w estern lowland gorilla, he lived at the zoo until his death from skin cancer in 2003. Snowflake, who produced 22 offspring during his long captivity, often appeared bad-tempered and had recently been receiving anti-depressants.Snowflake's celebrity status was enhanced when he featured on the Basement Jaxx album Rooty in 2001 Officials had promised him a dignified death, and said they would not to try to extend his life in a way likely to cause him suffering. The zoo's chief vet, Jesus Fernandez, has said Snowflake's rare albino condition made him more sensitive to the Sun. He was believed to be 38-40 years old - around 80 in human terms. Snowflake - Copito de Nieve in Spanish - had been at the zoo since being captured by a hunter in Equatorial Guinea in 1966. Snowflake's fans have been filing past his cage to say goodbye since learning that his death was imminent. Zoo director Jordi Portabella said vets finally decided to put Snowflake down early on Monday to spare him further pain. Spanish vets had known since 2001 that Snowflake was suffering from skin cancer, but they announced in September that his illness had progressed and he had only a few months to live.īarcelona city officials said on Monday that Snowflake's condition had worsened rapidly over the past few weeks. He had been at the zoo for 37 years, popular with generations of visitors and becoming a symbol of the city.
Snowflake was thought to be the world's only white gorilla. Snowflake had become a symbol of BarcelonaĪ white gorilla which has been a star attraction at Barcelona zoo for decades has died of cancer, officials say.
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