Keywords
Leucism
Squirrel
Telangana
India
How to Cite
Accepted 2023-08-21
Published 2023-09-09
Abstract
Leucism is expressed as the almost total decoloration of certain or whole parts of the body, but preserving the typical color of eyes, nails, and skin. We show the first known case of leucism in a three-striped palm squirrel in Telangana, India. On 12th December 2022, we observed a white-coloured juvenile three-striped palm squirrel along with its mother and another juvenile on the bund of the Rayasamudram tank in Ramachandrapuram of Sangareddy district, Telangana State, India. It was white, with a pinkish snout, ears, and limbs, but its eyes were normal colored. Hence we concluded that the juvenile three-striped palm squirrel was affected by leucism. The observation is the first report of leucism in three-striped palm squirrels in the state of Telangana, India. Documenting abnormal coloration will help provide insights into the underlying causes of this phenomenon and their prevalence, distribution, and impacts on survival.
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