What is unique about white tiger reproduction?
First of all, I would like to point out that white tigers are not a different species or subspecies – they are just Bengal tigers with a genetic condition called leucism, which results in reduced pigmentation. This is not the same as albinism, which is a complete lack of pigment – an albino tiger would have no stripes, and pink eyes, not blue. White tigers can and do occur in the wild, but are rare for two reasons. First, leucism is caused by recessive genes, meaning that two individuals carrying the gene must mate, and both must pass on the gene to the offspring in order for that offspring to be leucistic (if only one parent passes on the leucistic gene, the offspring will be normally coloured, since the gene for normal colour is dominant over the leucistic gene. If two white tigers mate, the offspring will defintely be white, since the parents have only leucistic genes to pass on). Second, being white is something of a disadvantage for a tiger. It lacks the natural camouflage of norm
