Rare White Bull Moose Looks Both Ways Before Crossing The Road In Canada

Quinn Eaton·
RIFF OUTDOORS
·
White moose Canada

This white moose has been around the block a time or two.

Seeing a moose out in the wild is already a majestic experience. Bull moose can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and stand over six feet tall at the shoulder. Cow moose (females), on the other hand, usually weigh around 1,000 pounds and stand over five feet tall at the shoulder. These massive creatures are the largest members of the deer family and the second largest animal to roam North America.

The sheer size of the animals can stop you right in your tracks if you see one in person… which makes seeing a white moose  that much more special.

Albino and leucistic animals both exhibit a lack of pigmentation, but they have distinct differences.

Albinism is caused by a genetic mutation that prevents the production of melanin, the pigment responsible for coloration in skin, hair, and eyes. Albino animals typically have completely white or pale skin, fur, or scales, with red or pink eyes due to the lack of pigment in the iris, allowing blood vessels to show through. It affects all melanin-producing cells, meaning patterns and markings are completely absent. Leucism on the other hand is caused by a different genetic mutation that results in partial or complete loss of pigment in the skin, feathers, fur, or scales. Unlike albinism, leucistic animals can still produce melanin in their eyes, so they often have normal-colored eyes (blue, brown, black, etc.) rather than red or pink. Patterns and markings may still be visible, appearing faded or muted rather than completely absent. It’s more common in birds, reptiles, and some mammals like deer or big cats.

If you are ever out in nature and you see an albino moose – or an albino animal (complete loss of pigmentation) of any kind for that matter – consider yourself lucky. The odds of witnessing one of nature’s beautiful mistakes are slim to none. It’s one of those situations where if you see an albino animal, you ought to go and buy a lottery ticket right after (though you kind of already won the lottery seeing the rare creature in person).

Albinism is a recessive genetic trait (having flashbacks to biology class?), meaning that both parents of the albino offspring must carry the trait. In the rare case that the pair both have the non-dominant trait, they can then pass it down to their baby and cause it to have a lack in hair, tissue and skin coloration. When it comes to moose, there’s about a one in 20,000 chance that they can be born albino. Both instances are extremely rare in the wild, however leucism is slightly more common at around one in 10,000.

So this Canadian couple that was driving towards Foleyet, Ontario back in 2020 must have just been lucky when they politely slowed down to let a towering white moose cross the road right in front of them. As you’ll see in the footage below, the all-white moose can be seen trotting out of the woods and closer to the road. The driver of the car slowed down, doing their best to ensure the safety of the beautiful creature in front of them… and they weren’t the only ones that used caution.

It’s hard to know for sure, but a couple spots on the coat would indicate a leucistic bull moose, and he can be seen checking both directions before crossing the street, just as all of our parents once taught us:

That’s one smart moose.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an animal be proactive crossing the road. Considering that there’s plenty of examples of moose not paying attention to traffic, and then paying the price for it, I’d say this is one of the more intelligent moose out in the wild.

And social media users agreed:

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