What’s up with the white wildlife, Australia? Just a few short weeks after a leucistic great white shark washed up on an Australian beach, a photo of a "white hopper" has emerged Down Under.

Doesn't look real does it? But let me assure you that it was a real live albino kangaroo on the side of the road at Big...

Posted by Riverglen Marina Houseboat Hire on Tuesday, 2 February 2016

 

This time, it’s a white kangaroo that’s quickly becoming a social media celebrity after South Australia local Rosemary Faehrmann uploaded a photo of the unusual animal to the Riverglen Marina Houseboat Hire Facebook page. The photo has been shared more than 7,000 times on Facebook and has racked up over 8,000 likes since it was posted earlier this month.

It's a rare sighting, but it's not the first time a white marsupial has made it into the spotlight. In 2013, a two-year-old albino kangaroo was photographed near Canberra, surprising wildlife staff who were uncertain how the animal had survived so long given the heightened risks facing a pale-skinned roo.

“It’s no mean feat for this kangaroo to make it to two years old without being taken by wild dogs or foxes,” Brett McNamara, regional manager of the Australian Capital Territory’s Parks and Conservation Service, told Guardian Australia at the time. “It’s vulnerable because of its colour but also because it has poor hearing and eyesight, and it will be susceptible to sunburn because of its skin.”

It’s difficult to tell from Faehrman’s photo if this latest sighting (probably an western grey kangaroo) is a true albino or if it has a genetic trait known as leucism. Unlike albinism, which causes a complete lack of melanin throughout the body, leucism doesn't affect the eyes. Either way, let's hope this roo can make it through.  

Header image: BrisVegan Street