White deer with rare genetic trait spotted on eastern Long Island

A white-tailed deer with rare nearly all-white coloring has been frequenting a grassy yard on eastern Long Island.

A resident, who asked to be kept anonymous to protect the animal and whose exact location Newsday is keeping private, said the deer started showing up in his backyard, which borders a wooded area, in December, and he began snapping photos.

The deer has a genetic trait called leucism, which causes a loss of pigment. Deer with leucism can be nearly all white, like this one, or spotted like a pinto pony — a variation commonly called piebald. The condition can affect nearly any animal, including mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Leucism is the result of a recessive gene, so both parents must carry that gene in order to produce a leucistic fawn. Only about 1% of deer have this trait, according to The Nature Conservancy. It’s different from albinism, also a genetic mutation, which results in a complete lack of melanin. A leucistic deer will still have dark eyes, nose, and hooves.

Leslie Lupo, a wildlife biologist at the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s Stony Brook office, said she’d never seen a deer with leucism on Long Island.

In regions where deer must evade wild predators, a white deer would be at a disadvantage, Lupo noted. In a typical deer, "coloration changes throughout the year with the seasons,” she said, turning deeper red-brown in summer, and more pale and gray in the winter, for camouflage.

A white deer would stand out and be at greater risk of becoming a meal for a wolf pack or other local predators.

This rare Long Island animal seems content to browse on tender spring greens, the resident said, sometimes alone and sometimes accompanied by a more conventionally attired companion.

"I was and still am very fortunate to see this deer," the resident said. "I realized how lucky I am when something that rare chooses your yard to feel safe in."