'Pretty cool sight': Albino skunk snapped on P.E.I.
Sara Fraser | CBC News | Posted: October 4, 2017 9:00 AM | Last Updated: October 4, 2017
'I wouldn't say that they're really common but they do show up from time to time'
It's one of the last things you want to run into in your driveway or backyard — a skunk of any stripe, or in this case, no stripe at all.
Fish and Wildlife P.E.I. recently posted some photos of what they say was an albino skunk seen on P.E.I., commenting on Facebook it is "a pretty cool sight."
"It's more or less a completely white skunk, and this is caused by a genetic mutation in the animal itself," said Ken Mayhew, an information officer with Forests, Fish and Wildlife.
There are no other differences in albino skunks except their colour — or lack of it — explained Mayhew.
"This is the first one I personally have heard about, but having this type of thing happen within mammals is not unusual," he said, noting albino moose, deer and bears are not uncommon.
"I wouldn't say that they're really common but they do show up from time to time," he said.
'Weeded out' quickly
And it's not easy in nature being a bright colour like white — they're easier for predators to find and hunt, Mayhew said.
Skunks are often eaten by great horned owls, Mayhew said — so it's likely there aren't any in the area where the skunk lives.
"Usually those types of things are weeded out of the population fairly quickly," Mayhew said.
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