Although I realize that this is not related to mollusks, since we have had
considerable discussion about "albinos"  over the past couple of days,
I thought I would forward this along.

In related mollusk activity, I have collected quite a few so-called Oliva
sayana
form citrina over the past ten years.  While the shells were, in most cases,
uniformly gold, I could not discern any difference between the animals of
the
gold specimens and those with the normally colored shells.  However, I have
seen specimens which were uniformely gold (except for the protoconch) that
suddenly began depositing the normal Oliva sayana coloration as they reached
the end of their growth. Very strange!

Bill Frank
1865 Debutante Dr.
Jacksonville, Florida 32246
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Visit the Jacksonville Shell Club Home Page
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----- Original Message -----
From: Kate M. Holly <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, October 22, 1999 5:08 PM
Subject: FYI - Article on Albino Leopard Shark


> ALBINO LEOPARD SHARK ON DISPLAY AT KENTUCKY AQUARIUM
> (10-22) 10:14 PDT NEWPORT, Ky. (AP) -- An albino leopard shark, a rare
> discovery, went on display Friday at the Newport Aquarium.
> The 5-month-old, 15-inch-long male shark is housed in a tank with
stingrays,
> but will be moved into a bigger tank with other leopard sharks when he
gets
> older.
> A team collecting animals for the aquarium found him about two months ago
> off the coast of Northern California.
> The discovery was fortunate because predators generally find the sharks
> quickly in the wild due to their unusual appearance and lack of natural
> camouflage, said Linda Hanna, an aquatic biologist at the aquarium.
> The albino has none of the traditional black spots usually found on
leopard
> sharks. He is all white with pink eyes and weighs about a pound.
> His discovery has prompted calls from shark experts because there are few
> documented findings, spokeswoman Lisa Popyk said.
> Leopard sharks can grow to 6 feet long. They live along the Pacific Coast
> from Oregon to Mexico.