Wildlife Photographer Captures Stunning Pictures Of Extremely Rare White Bull Moose

Picture perfect white moose out in the wild.

Seeing just a regular ol’ moose out in nature is already an incredible experience. Bull moose can weigh up to 1,500 pounds and stand over six feet tall at the shoulder. On the other hand, cow moose (females) usually weigh around 1,000 pounds and stand over five feet tall at the shoulder. These massive creatures are the largest members of the deer family and the second largest animal to roam North America.

The sheer size of the animals can stop you right in your tracks if you see one in person… which makes seeing a white moose  that much more special. The moose in these stunning pictures can either be classified as an albino or a leucistic animal. If you aren’t familiar with those terms, both exhibit a lack of pigmentation, but they have distinct differences.

When it comes to albinism, the genetic mutation prevent the production of melanin, which is the pigment that gives color to skin, hair, and eyes. Albino animals will typically have all white skin an fur, generally accompanied by red or pink eyes (due to lack of pigmentation in the eyes). Albinism affects all melanin-producing cells, so any patterns or markings that would generally be present are not.

Albinism is a recessive genetic trait (having flashbacks to biology class?), meaning that both parents of the albino offspring must carry the trait. In the rare case that the pair both have the non-dominant trait, they can then pass it down to their baby and cause it to have a lack in hair, tissue and skin coloration.

Then you’ve got leucism, which is a different genetic mutation that causes skin, feathers, fur, or scales to have a partial loss in pigmentation. Unlike albinism, leucistic animals can still produce melanin in their eyes, so they often have normal-colored eyes (blue, brown, black, etc.) rather than red or pink. Patterns and markings may still be visible, but can appear faded or muted rather than completely absent.

Regardless of what category this moose falls underneath, if you are ever out in nature and you see a white moose – or an albino animal of any kind for that matter – consider yourself lucky. The odds of witnessing one of nature’s beautiful mistakes are slim to none. It’s one of those situations where if you see an all-white animal, you ought to go and buy a lottery ticket right after.

Though I’d argue that you kind of already won the lottery seeing the rare creature in person, am I right? When it comes to moose, there’s about a one in 20,000 chance that they can be born albino. Both instances of loss in pigmentation are extremely rare in the wild, however leucism is slightly more common at around one in 10,000.

Professional photographer and Nikon Ambassador Roger Brendhagen captured the photos of this white bull moose around the Sweden/Norway border. Considering that white moose have been seen in this area for close to 100 years, it’s very possible that this beast is a decedent of the beautiful white moose that have been spotted in the area since the 1930s, as the caption for the post explains:

“As early as 1930, locals have told of catching glimpses of an all white moose in the area and this bull is likely a distant relative. Sweden is home to the highest density of moose in the world.

These iconic animals are often called ‘the king of the forest,’ and for good reason. With their towering legs and impressive antlers, moose are one of Sweden’s most fascinating wild animals. Seeing a white bull moose of this caliber is insanely rare.”

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