An extremely rare white bison calf has been spotted in Yellowstone National Park.
According to the National Bison Association, the odds of birthing a white bison are somewhere around one-in-10-million. Just for reference, the odds of being killed by a meteor are 1-in-1.6 million and the odds of being in a plane crash are 1-in-20 million. Although, take that number with a grain of salt, as it’s probably difficult to have an accurate probability for that. Nevertheless, it IS extremely rare.
While they remain a huge draw and create excitement every time one is seen today, white buffalo also have long been a sacred sign for many Native American tribes, including that of the Lakota, who believe those who appear today are the return of White Buffalo Calf Woman, which symbolizes both a blessing and a warning.
This white calf was spotted in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, an area of the park that PACKED with wildlife, including grizzly bears, wolves, elk, bison and more.
Montana photographer Erin Braaten told KTQV:
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, it was so surreal. I just knew it was something special and probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever photographed.”
She added that initially thought it was a coyote, but upon further inspection realized it was the incredibly rare white bison.
Most people assume that an animal with white fur is albino, but that is usually not the case. Rather, most white animals are born with leucism, which is similar, and slightly more common, genetic loss of pigment. Leucitic animals can present with patches of white, or be completely white, but unlike albino animals, who have red eyes and pink noses and feet, leucistic animals have eyes and feet that are normal colors (usually black). It is only their fur or feathers that are missing the natural color.
But as cool and as rare as it is, it’s also a huge disadvantage in the wild as their white fur makes them stick out like a sore thumb in the wilderness… an easy target for wolves and other predators.
Check it out:
