MINERVA, Ohio (WKBN) – An animal lover in Minerva got a surprise when she looked out at her bird feeder Wednesday.
Kimberly Carman spotted what at first looked like someone’s pet mouse snacking on her feeder on Don Street, but closer inspection made her think it was a chipmunk — but a white one.
Carman said this was the first time she has ever seen one.
According to National Geographic, albino animals are rare in nature. The loss of pigmentation creates difficulty in the wild without the camouflage of color.
Albinoism occurs when one or more mutated genes are inherited from both parents that interfere with the production of melanin, the main pigment that determines skin, fur and eye color.