The two extremely rare white otter cubs snuggle up together at the Blue Planet Aquarium in CheshireIt looks as though these two may have carelessly fallen into a pot of white paint. In fact, they are an extremely rare pair of albino otter cubs which are the first to have been born in captivity in Britain.
Keepers could not believe their eyes when the uncommonly pale creatures were born at the Blue Planet Aquarium in Cheshire.
The pair are part of a litter of three baby Asian short-claw otters born at the end of March. But it was only when they started appearing outside their 'holt' that their unusual colouring was spotted
Exhibits manager Tom Cornwell said: 'Normally the cubs, like their parents, are dark brown in colour so it came as a major surprise to see these two tiny white cubs running around.
'We've been doing some checking but it would appear that this is a very rare occurrence indeed.
'There were sightings of a wild albino otter up in Scotland last year, but this is the first time we've seen anything like this in captivity in the UK.'
The cubs' parents take them for a stroll with their dark-skinned siblingThe cubs are believed to have leucism, which is a rare condition in which the animal's fur develops without its natural pigment.
This can result in either white animals or an unusual patchy coloration known as piebald.
Both cubs were described, however, as 'perfectly healthy and full of energy'.
Otter cubs can remain inside the holt for up to the first six or seven weeks of their lives.
Asian short claw otters can live at least 12 years, with some living for more than 20.They are born blind and are completely reliant on their parents to look after them.
Otters mate for life, with the female being the dominant partner.
The life expectancy of Asian short claw otters in the wild is unknown but in captivity they can live at least 12 years, with some living for more than 20.
source: dailymail
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