Whenever someone is talking about an albino corn, they are speaking of an amelanistic animal about 95% of the time. However, though the two terms are mostly used as synonyms, they actually are not.



Amelanistic animals (amels) are those which lack the pigment for black coloration, melanin. In fact, the word "amelanistic" is one derived from the Greek language, meaning, "no black."



However, the term "albino" covers a broader range of animals beyond the amel. We often think of an albino as being an animal that lacks all pigment, but that is not the case, especially in relation to reptiles. An albino is simply an animal that lacks SOME pigment due to genetic mutation. So an amel qulifies, because it lacks black producing melanin, but so does an anerythristic (from the Greek for "no red" animal which lacks the red producing erythrin. That is why Aneries are sometimes called "black albinos," which seems like an odd term, at first, but is very descriptive in reality. An animal that lacked all yellow pigment due to a lack of xanthin, would also be an albino of sorts, but no one has produced such an animal as of yet, though there are some working on isolating that gene.



So, all amels are albinos, but not all albinos are amels. It's that simple, and that complex. Hope that helps a bit!
-----
Darin Chappell

Hillbilly Herps

PO Box 254

Rogersville, MO 65742

[ Show Entire Thread ]