Ultra rare albino crocodile named Pearl is spotted in Oz river
- 3 years ago
A RARE white crocodile that Sir David Attenborough is rumoured to be trying to locate for a BBC documentary has allegedly been spotted.
The croc was found by film maker Jalil Najafov, who then gave it the nickname Pearl, while on a boat cruise in Australia.
Najafov, from Azerbaijan, claims the croc is the same one that has allegedly eluded Attenborough, who along with the BBC tried to catch it on camera previously.
He said: "David Attenborough and the BBC went to the same place to try to capture her on camera and they didn’t find her, we were very lucky to have that opportunity."
When quizzed on the name choice he added: "The white colour makes them easy prey when they’re born, therefore this one is actually the rarest wild crocodile in the world in the wild.
Despite Najafov's viral recordings, Pearl was discovered in 2018 by a group on a tourist cruise.
One of the group, the president of an unofficial local conservation group, who gave the name Broady said: "Everyone is so ecstatic. I spent most of the day in tears watching her."
But Pearl isn't the only albino croc to have been seen in the region.
Many believe she is the relative of another slain one named Micheal Jackson who was killed in 2014.
The reason for the croc's colour is because it is born with a genetic variation known as hypomelanism – which turns it white.
Hypomelanism means that the reptile doesn’t produce as much pigmentation in its skin as a normal crocodile – a similar condition to albinism.
The croc was found by film maker Jalil Najafov, who then gave it the nickname Pearl, while on a boat cruise in Australia.
Najafov, from Azerbaijan, claims the croc is the same one that has allegedly eluded Attenborough, who along with the BBC tried to catch it on camera previously.
He said: "David Attenborough and the BBC went to the same place to try to capture her on camera and they didn’t find her, we were very lucky to have that opportunity."
When quizzed on the name choice he added: "The white colour makes them easy prey when they’re born, therefore this one is actually the rarest wild crocodile in the world in the wild.
Despite Najafov's viral recordings, Pearl was discovered in 2018 by a group on a tourist cruise.
One of the group, the president of an unofficial local conservation group, who gave the name Broady said: "Everyone is so ecstatic. I spent most of the day in tears watching her."
But Pearl isn't the only albino croc to have been seen in the region.
Many believe she is the relative of another slain one named Micheal Jackson who was killed in 2014.
The reason for the croc's colour is because it is born with a genetic variation known as hypomelanism – which turns it white.
Hypomelanism means that the reptile doesn’t produce as much pigmentation in its skin as a normal crocodile – a similar condition to albinism.