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Iberian Lynx With White Coat Confirmed in Jaén as Reversible Depigmentation

Program coordinators identify the animal as the monitored female Satureja, ruling out leucism or albinism.

Overview

  • Photographer Ángel Hidalgo obtained clear photos and video on October 22 in a sierra of Jaén after months of camera‑trap work.
  • Project Lynx says the whitening affects pheomelanin while dark spots persist, consistent with a temporary, non‑genetic pigment change.
  • A prior female from the Montoro/Córdoba population displayed the same whitening and later regained normal coloration.
  • Authorities are examining environmental exposure or individual hypersensitivity as possible triggers and are withholding the precise site to protect the animal.
  • Experts report normal behavior and health and have corrected media reports that described the lynx as leucistic.