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Rare White Iberian Lynx Confirmed in Jaén as Experts Reject Leucism Claim

Specialists say the unusual coat reflects reversible depigmentation likely linked to environmental exposure, not a genetic disorder.

Overview

  • Project Lince identified the animal as a wild female named Satureja, born in 2021 and already under routine monitoring.
  • Photographer Ángel Hidalgo captured photos and video after months of tracking and camera-trap work in the Jaén mountains.
  • Technicians report that dark eumelanin markings persist while orange‑yellow pigments appear suppressed, pointing to pheomelanin disruption.
  • Satureja shows normal behavior and no health risk, and officials have kept the exact location confidential for her protection.
  • A prior Andalusian female exhibited the same whitening and later regained normal coloration as investigators now probe environmental agents or individual hypersensitivity within that population.