WORTHINGTON -- Nature is full of things that challenge your imagination.
I will never know how an eagle can see as well as the Hubble Space Telescope or how a robin can feel a worm moving underneath its feet.
Computer games and electronic gadgets will never cause the same wonder nor will they ever make you appreciate the smell of the fresh air after a rain.
One of many interesting experiences that you can only get by participating in the outdoors is the unusual sightings of animals and different creatures that have been born as albino. I don't know what percent of animals in the wild are albino, but in humans it's one in 20,000.
A bird or other animal that is born as an albino has a very rare pigment defect that many folks have never seen. I saw an albino Canada goosed on Lake Okabena last week and this sighting made me want to know more about how this happens.
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An albino animal is a result of that animal receiving one or more traits that interrupt the making of pigment called melanin. This interruption has the result of rendering the animal either all white or almost completely white.
Most folks think that almost all animals that are all white are albino, which is not the case. Another myth is that all albinos have pink eyes. An albino can have either pink/red eyes or they can also have blue eyes. One thing about being albino is that the loss of pigment due to the interruption of melanin is that eyesight is also affected. Eyesight in these special animals is not near as good as their normally-colored counterparts.
This makes albino animals more prone to predation, which results in a shortened life span in many cases. I have often wondered what a predator thinks when it is chasing a white squirrel, as it certainly will not have chased many in it life time. But research shows that predators pursue and eat albinos just as readily as their normally-colored counterparts.
There seems to be other drawbacks to being an albino in the wild as well. The poor individuals that end up all white don't do well in the dating department either. In nature a white tuxedo is not as attractive as a traditional camouflage suit. Many albinos have a hard time finding a mate, and reproduction is reduced.
The hunting of albino animals is a big deal in certain areas. Some states outlaw the harvest of these animals, and others have no special regulation. Minnesota does prohibit the hunting of albino or leucistic colored bears, but I know of no other restrictions. These animals are likely to die of natural causes anyway, so in my mind, hunting them is no big deal. I know that a mounted albino pheasant is a rare find, and most hunters that I know would shoot one if they had the chance.
Albino sightings like the Canada goose that I saw last week will continue to be rare events, but when it happens, it always adds a certain element to your outdoor experience --making it one of those memories that you don't normally forget.
It doesn't matter whether the wildlife I watch is albino or not, but either way, it is far more satisfying than watching re-runs of Law and Order on the television.
One special note: If you have not gotten your ticket for the Nobles County Pheasants Forever Banquet which is at 7:00 tonight at the Long Branch, they will have tickets available at the door, so it is not to late to help support this great cause. I will certainly be there so I just might see you.
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To read Scott Rall's column and other outdoors stories online, visit www.dglobe.com and click on "Northland Out-doors."
