10 White Animals You Should Know Of

When you picture a fox, you typically picture one with reddish or orange fur. Alternatively, when you hear the word iguana, you probably see a lizard with dark green skin sliding across the grass. The same happens with white animals.

10 White Animals You Should Know Of

There are animals of all colors and hues around the world, and the animals whose fur or skin is totally white are some of the people’s favorites.

Not that all of them are attractive to the eye, but when you think about a white horse or a polar bear, well, there’s just something about them that makes you look at them for hours.

Many of the animals in this article have a condition called leucism, whereas others belong to those species that are naturally white.

Regardless of the category, they fall under, such species are also unique and very intriguing.

So, keep on reading below to discover our selection of white animals!

Rabbit

Rabbit

A variety of rabbit species are lighter in color. What is really amazing about rabbits is that they may change from brown or grey hair to fully white hair during wintertime.

Scientists believe that the hue change is caused by photoperiod or a lack of sunlight in cooler temperatures.

Certainly, the white color makes it easier for them to blend in with their surroundings, making it more difficult for eagles and any other predator to notice them in the snow.

See the differences between rabbits and kangaroos.

Siberian Hamster

Siberian Hamster

Many hamster types have a combination of white and other colors such as brown and grey.

However, the Siberian Hamster has beautiful pure white fur that stays the same. The color might change in extreme temperatures, but this rarely happens.

Moreover, being exposed to the sunlight has little effect on the whiteness of their coats, so these hamsters stay true to their “Siberian” character.

Ptarmigan

Ptarmigan

When searching for wildlife during wintertime, ptarmigans might be difficult to spot since they have a brilliant white hue that blends in with the snow surrounding them.

Because ptarmigans are linked to chickens and pheasants, you can guess what they would resemble.

Ptarmigans might hold on to some of the dark, black feathers on their tail, but besides that, they are pure white and even look brighter than other animals.

That happens because ptarmigans “store” air bubbles in their wintertime feathers for warmth.

Polar Bear

Polar Bear

As they dwell in freezing environments with nothing other than snow and ice that seem endless, these deadly creatures are covered with white fur.

Because of their white appearance, their victims sometimes mistake polar bears for piles of snow.

Surprisingly, the polar bears’ coats lack white pigmentation; on the contrary, their skin is black and their hair hollow.

Moreover, they have stored lots of body fat that keeps them warm and alive in the Arctic regions they reside.

Sheep

Sheep

Sheep have white coats, and they provide the amazing wool that warms us up when it is freezing outside.

These cute animals love spending time outside getting dirty, which is why their coats can look grey rather than white at times.

Yet, if washed up, their thick white coats can be distinguished from afar and are what makes them visible in the vast green valleys.

In addition to that, and considering how warm they keep us, their coats are also keeping them warm during winter.

White Lion

White Lion

White lions aren’t the same as albino lions, or at least not entirely, there is many different types of lions. Their white skin is attributed to a recessive genetic condition known as leucism. Leucism is sometimes referred to as a milder form of albinism.

White lions have white fur, but it is not the dazzling white coat of an albino lion. In most cases, it is more of a pale white or lightly golden.

However, you can definitely tell them apart from the rather ordinary lions we are used to.

White Tiger

White Tiger

Similar to a white lion, the white tiger is an amazing beast that deserves to be on this list too. The white tiger is also not an albino tiger, but, again, due to leucism, it features a white coat.

Its lighter coat does not appear to affect its survival in the wild in any way that is obvious. However, given their white color, they certainly will attract the human eye more than a regular tiger will.

Harp Seal

Harp Seal

We’ve already mentioned polar bears and the way their white coats can easily deceive their prey’s eye. But what about the prey itself?

To survive the deadly teeth of the polar bear, the harp seal has also adapted to its environment and camouflages itself with a white coat.

Indigenous to the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean, these seals manage to hide from the polar bears and stay alive thanks to their white color.

White Kangaroo

White Kangaroo

If you ever encounter white kangaroos, you’ve witnessed one of nature’s most unusual spectacles. Most kangaroos, as you may know, have brownish-gray fur.

A white kangaroo is not born white. Experts claim that their white fur is linked to leucism.

As you can imagine, white kangaroos in the wild have a shorter lifespan than white kangaroos in the zoo.

Although a white kangaroo lives among a crowd of other kangaroos, predators may quickly recognize these white creatures. Sadly, they cannot blend in with their surroundings like their brownish-gray cousins.

Arctic Fox

Arctic Fox

An Arctic fox changes its coat’s color according to the season; during wintertime, its coat is totally white, whereas in springtime and during the summer months it turns brown and grey.

Moreover, like most of the animals on this list, the Arctic fox uses its white color to protect itself from its predators and does the same in the spring and summer with its brownish-grey colors that work as great camouflage in nature.

The Bottom Line

These white animals are quite rare and beautiful. If you ever see them out in the wild or in the zoo, make sure to enjoy that view as it will probably be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Of course, white rabbits are not hard to find, but even they are not such a frequent encounter!

Olivia Kepner