Albino wallabies are both rare and beautiful. Earlier this year on February 8th, zoo keepers noticed an oddly colored joey peeking out of a Red-necked Wallaby pouch. The Wallaby mom's name is Kylie and as her baby grew, the keepers realized just how stunning her baby was. Her baby is now half-grown and is a beautiful snow-white juvenile who still tries to squeeze back into his mother's pouch for some snuggling.

The Linton Zoo staff believes their Wallaby mob is descended from the group of Wallabies given as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II while she was on a state visit to Australia in 1962. What is so special about this little joey is that it is the first albino Wallaby to ever be born at the Linton Zoo. The zoo keepers have affectionately named it ALF which stands for 'Alien Life Form'.

Red-necked Wallabies are usually grey-brown in color, but on rare occasions, a white or albino is born, even after generations of normal-colored individuals. To some, these albino mammals may resemble giant white rabbits, at first. Although this little joey may be the first albino to be born at the Linton Zoo there is a place in the wild where they live naturally.

That place is near the Fluted Cape entrance to South Bruny National Park in Tasmania, which is the most southern island State of Australia. There you may come across a small mob of albino wallabies. These pure white animals are a sight to behold in that they look like something that has been set adrift from the Antarctic.

It is in the late afternoon or sometimes at dusk, that the albino (red-necked) wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) move about in the dim light to feed. Although solitary by nature, the wallabies often gather in loose groups (known as mobs) to share feeding areas where they graze on grass and herbs. This behavior is and presumably to enhance their safety.


The best time to visit and see the babies is from late summer to early autumn (December to April) when the births occur. For these Bennett's Wallabies their gestation period is thought to be 30 days and their 'pouch life' is about 280 days, while weaning occurs at 12-17 months.

Albinism results from the inheritance of recessive gene alleles and is known to affect all vertebrates, including humans. The albino wallabies have red eyes because the color of the retinal blood vessels is apparent since there is no pigment to obscure it. Photo-sensitivity and increased susceptibility to skin cancers are some of the issues these wallabies face as a result of their genetic make-up.

Enjoy the photos of this adorable albino Wallaby joey named Alf below.